Raisi And Putin Meet In Moscow, Iran To Deepen Cooperation With EAEU

Wires carrying comments from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi ahead of a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

• According to Reuters, Raisi told Putin: "We can make additional steps in cooperation in energy, agriculture and education."
• Comes as Tass reports that, "the Eurasian Economic Union [EAEU] and Iran are set to sign a free trade agreement in the near future," according to a handout released to reporters ahead of the bilat.
• The press package reads: "The reinvigoration of Russian-Iranian ties will be helped by the conclusion of a free trade agreement between the EAEU and Iran. The negotiations have been successfully completed, and the signing of the document will take place in the near future."
• According to Reuters, Raisi also made a number of comments on the war between Hamas and Israel, stating: "It's regretful that international organizations are not effective," indicating that the conflict may provide further political justification for Moscow and Tehran to deepen economic and political cooperation.
• MNI noted yesterday that Putin's whistle-stop tour to the Gulf did little to impact energy markets, but a focus on the Hamas-Israel war may help strengthen Russia's standing amongst Middle East partners and deflect attention from the war in Ukraine.
• Notably, Putin's bilateral engagements this week have included meetings with leaders from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, three BRICS invitees and a central pillar of Moscow's strategy to limit economic isolation association with western sanctions.