TEHRAN (Tasnim) � Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said expansion of Tehran-Ankara ties will not affect the volume of the Islamic Republic�s cooperation with Russia.





"Iran is a sovereign country, whose leaders make independent decisions proceeding from the national interests. They are free to develop relations with any country," Bogdanov told the Tass news agency, speaking of the recent visit of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to the Iranian capital.

Stressing that Tehran-Ankara�s development of ties is unlikely to affect Tehran-Moscow relations, he said, "We have a very good tradition of interaction. We helped the Iranians not only in a period of sanctions lifting but also in times of trouble. We cooperated in branches, which are extremely important for Iran�s economy, including nuclear power industry.�

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu arrived in Iran on March 5 to hold talks with the country�s senior officials on various issues.

During his trip to the Islamic Republic, he met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, and a number of other senior officials to discuss various issues, including the latest developments in the Middle East region.

By Tasnim News Agency