TEHRAN – Kioumars Hashemi, the Iranian Minister of Sports and Youth, met with his Russian counterpart Mikhail Degtyarev in the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states in Astana, Kazakhstan on Thursday.

The sports ministers discussed the development of bilateral relations at a meeting on the sidelines of the SCO.

Hashemi said Iran is ready to continue collaboration with Russia in expanding cooperation in various fields.

“Currently, there close relations between the two countries, and Russia is willing to develop cooperation with Iran, and we are happy due to this interaction,” the Iranian minister said.

Degtyarev also said 30 joint events have been held between Russia and Iran in the past few years.

“Russian athletes have competed in various events hosted by Iran, and taking part in Nowruz competitions is one of these events. Also, the cooperation between Zenit and Sepahan football clubs has progressed very well and these two clubs have had a good agreement and cooperation so far. There is also an agreement between the Iranian and Russian football federations and two teams are scheduled to play a friendly match in 2025,” Degtyarev said.

The SCO was founded in 2001 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. In 2017 India and Pakistan joined, followed by Iran in 2022. Belarus is expected to join the SCO this summer. The association’s main objectives are to strengthen stability in the region, fight terrorism and drug trafficking, as well as develop economic cooperation, energy, scientific, and cultural partnerships.