Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has called for the expansion of ties between Tehran and Moscow, stressing the need for the promotion of bilateral and multilateral cooperation in various fields.

Rouhani made the comments in a Friday message to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Russia Day - the national holiday of the Russian Federation celebrated on June 12.

“I believe the current situation in the region and the world has necessitated all-out cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation all the more,” said President Rouhani.

He expressed hope for the expansion of “bilateral and multilateral cooperation" involving Tehran and Moscow in various fields.

Tehran-Moscow relations

The remarks come as Iran and Russia have enjoyed close relations and cooperation in different areas over the past years.

Russia agreed to complete Iran’s first nuclear power plant in the southern province of Bushehr in 1995 after signing a deal on the construction of nuclear plants in the Islamic Republic in 1992.

Bushehr's nuclear power plant became officially operational and was connected to Iran’s national power grid in September 2011, generating electricity at 40-percent capacity.

In January 2015, the two countries also clinched a deal to improve cooperation in defense and military areas.

Back in 2007, Russia signed an agreement with Iran to supply Tehran with S-300 surface-to-air missile systems. Moscow, however, banned their delivery in 2010 under pressure from the United States and its allies.

Russia is now set to deliver the S-300 air defense systems “soon,” according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after President Putin signed a decree paving the way for the long-overdue delivery in April 2015.

The two counties also have similar views on the crises in Syria and Yemen as they consider a political solution as the only way out of the conflicts in the Middle Eastern countries.

By Press TV