TEHRAN – The military attaché of the Iranian embassy in Moscow has said that an Iranian military delegation is expected to arrive in Moscow to participate in a Russian military exhibition.

The military attaché, Reza Khosravi Moghaddam, said the delegation was expected to arrive in Moscow on Monday morning.

The military delegation is led by General Aziz Nasirzadeh, the deputy chief of the joint staff of Iran’s armed forces. 

The international military-technical forum "Army-2023" opened Monday at the Patriot Congress and Exhibition Center in Moscow, TASS reported. About 1,500 prominent Russian companies of the military-industrial complex will present their products, and 85 foreign companies and organizations from seven countries will also participate in the forum.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, nearly 60 countries have confirmed their participation in this year's forum. Bilateral meetings between the leadership of the Russian Armed Forces and foreign partners are planned. Foreign delegations will also take part in a robust scientific and business program.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, contracts worth more than 433 billion rubles ($4.34 b) will be signed at the forum, TASS reported. 

“On Monday, Iran's high-ranking military delegation will participate in the opening ceremony of the 2023 Russia International Military Conference and Exhibition and visit the exhibition, and will also meet with a number of heads of participating foreign delegations,” Moghaddam said, according to IRNA. 

According to the military attaché, the head of the Iranian military delegation will participate in the 11th International Security Conference in Moscow on Tuesday. He also will deliver a speech on the topic of the situation of the multipolar world in the first meeting of this conference, Moghaddam noted. 

“The defense and military industries of our country, while being actively present, will display various parts of our country's military and defense products in front of the Russian participants and more than 60 countries of the world,” Moghaddam said. 

Iran and Russia enjoy close relations. Recently, Sergei Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister of Russia, paid a visit to Iran and participated in a conference aimed at paving the way for Iran’s membership in BRICS.

Speaking on the sidelines of the conference in Tehran, Ryabkov said he can’t set a timetable for Iran’s membership in BRICS because efforts are underway in this regard, according to IRNA.

He also said that he had discussed BRICS with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani. “We talked about issues related to BRICS because we obviously came to the conclusion that Iran is one of the strong candidates to become a full member of BRICS,” Ryabkov noted.