Iran, in its agreement with Russia, declined to recognize Crimea as Russian, according to MEE.

On Friday, January 17, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Moscow to sign a strategic partnership agreement. Notably, the document does not recognize the occupied territories of Ukraine as Russian.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing Middle East Eye.

It is known that the cooperation agreement will govern relations between the two countries for the next 20 years. According to a source from the publication, the draft agreement has been finalized after 20-30 rounds of negotiations over the past four to five years.

The source also mentioned that the agreement consists of 47 articles covering a wide range of areas. One of the key points of the pact concerns territorial integrity, which holds particular significance for Iran due to the ongoing claims of the UAE over three islands in the Persian Gulf that Tehran has controlled since 1971.

At the same time, this point "does not include the recognition of Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014, or other disputed territories."

Recall that recently The Times reported that Iran is conducting diplomatic missions in Russia. According to sources from the publication, the country aims to strengthen its military and defense capabilities and secure Moscow's support on the issue of implementing its nuclear program.