The Moscow visit of Iranian Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Mostafa Mohammad Najar aims to promote broader bilateral cooperation.

“Our states have a large potential for broadening bilateral relations. This visit will lay a foundation of further contacts,” the minister said upon his arrival in Russia.

“The current world and regional situation forces Iran and Russia to hold active consultations on problems of mutual interest. We are neighbors with similar capacities and we encounter the same threats in the region and the world. Iran and Russia understand their responsibility for regional peace, stability and security, so they closely watch any changes in the regional security structure,” he said.

The minister said he would discuss “existent defense agreements and future cooperation.”

“Russia has invested in a number of large projects in Iran. The Bushehr nuclear power plant, which will soon be commissioned, is a symbol of our relations,” Najar said.

“The Islamic Republic is using every possibility to defend its sovereignty. The Iranian military might is mostly rested on domestic technologies,” he said.