Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin is to meet his newly-elected Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani for the first time on Sept. 13. The two men will have talks on the sidelines of the regional Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrghyzistan.
Rouhani, who won Iran’s June 14 presidential election, took office on August 4. Iran, along with Afghanistan, India, Mongolia, and Pakistan, has an observer status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The regional body is an intergovernmental security organization that was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
On August 6, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged support for Rouhani’s nuclear stance, saying Moscow “absolutely agrees” that Tehran’s nuclear issue should be resolved peacefully, not via ultimatums.
