On April 9, Tehran will for the first time host the Valdai Club’s Russia-Iran dialogue, organized in partnership with the Tehran-based Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS). Participants in the event will discuss the most acute issues of politics and security in the region and beyond.
While Iran is Russia’s crucial partner in the Syria conflict resolution, the interests of Moscow and Tehran do not fully coincide and there are differences in the two countries’ approaches to some regional issues. One of the goals of the Tehran discussions is to harmonize the two nations’ policies and work out flexible approaches to solving international issues.
Experts of the Valdai Club and the IPIS are to debate global developments from the Russian and Iranian perspectives, the United States’ policies in the Middle East, including prospects of the Iran nuclear deal, the situation in Syria, and the bilateral agenda. Participants in the event will also examine Iran’s role in the construction of Greater Eurasia, where it is one of the most important players.
The event is to be attended by more than 50 participants, including over a dozen Russian experts on international relations, security, and nuclear energy, such as Andrey Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club, Fyodor Lukyanov, Research Director of the Valdai Discussion Club, Andrey Baklitskiy, Consultant at the PIR Center, Researcher of the Center for Global Problems and International Organizations of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The IPIS is headed by Seyed Mohammed Kazem Sajjadpour, a prominent Iranian diplomat, former ambassador and advisor to the Iranian foreign minister on strategic issues.
The first round of the Russia-Iran Dialogue was held in Moscow in 2017.
