In only his second trip abroad since Russian tanks rolled into his neighbor in February, Putin is scheduled to hold talks with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on pressing issues facing the region, including conflict in Syria and the UN. supported the proposal to resume Ukrainian grain exports to alleviate the global food crisis. As the West piles sanctions on Russia and the costly campaign drags on, Putin seeks to strengthen ties with Tehran, another target of tough US sanctions and a potential military and trade partner. In recent weeks, Russian officials have visited an airport in central Iran at least twice to inspect Tehran’s weapons-capable drones for possible use in Ukraine, the White House has claimed. Iran rolled out a long red carpet for Putin at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport, where Iranian Oil Minister Javad Ouji greeted him warmly before he was whisked off to the city in his presidential motorcade. But perhaps most crucially, the trip to Tehran offers Putin the opportunity for a high-stakes meeting with Erdogan, who has sought to help broker talks on a peaceful settlement of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as aid negotiations on unblocking Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. NATO member Turkey has been pitted against Russia in bloody conflicts in Azerbaijan, Libya and Syria. It has even sold killer drones that Ukrainian forces have used to attack Russian troops. But Turkey has not imposed sanctions on the Kremlin, making it an extremely necessary partner for Moscow. Facing runaway inflation and a rapidly depreciating currency, Turkey also relies on the Russian market. The gathering has symbolic meaning for Putin’s domestic audience as well, demonstrating Russia’s international influence even as it grows increasingly isolated and plunges deeper into confrontation with the West. It comes days after US President Joe Biden visited Israel and Saudi Arabia – Tehran’s arch-rivals. From Jerusalem and Jeddah, Biden urged Israel and Arab countries to push back against Russian, Chinese and Iranian influence that has expanded with the perception of America’s retreat from the region. It was a tough sell. Israel maintains good relations with Putin, a necessity given Russia’s presence in Syria, Israel’s northeastern neighbor and a frequent target of its airstrikes. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have refused to pump more oil beyond a plan approved by their energy alliance with Moscow. But all the countries – despite their long-standing rivalries – could agree to come closer to counter Iran, which has rapidly advanced its nuclear program since former US President Donald Trump abandoned Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers and reimposed crushing sanctions. Talks to restore the deal have reached an impasse. Backed by the West and its regional rivals, the Iranian government is ramping up uranium enrichment, cracking down on dissent and grabbing headlines with bullish, hard-line stances aimed at preventing the collapse of Iran’s currency, the rial. With no sanctions relief in sight, Iran’s regular cooperation with Russia has become a partnership of survival, even as Moscow appears to be undermining Tehran in the black market oil trade. “Iran is (the) center of dynamic diplomacy,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdolahian wrote on Twitter, adding that the meetings would “develop economic cooperation, focus on regional security … and ensure food security.” Fadahossein Maleki, a member of Iran’s parliament’s influential committee on national security and foreign policy, described Russia as Iran’s “most strategic partner” on Monday. His comments belied decades of animosity stemming from Russia’s occupation of Iran during World War II – and its refusal to leave afterward. On his fifth visit to Tehran, Putin will meet with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with whom he has a “dialogue of confidence”, said Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Usakov. He will also hold talks with President Raisi on issues such as the Tehran nuclear deal, of which Russia is a key signatory. The leaders met in Moscow in January and again last month in Turkmenistan. The focus of the talks between the three presidents will be the decade-long conflict in Syria, where Iran and Russia have backed President Bashar Assad’s government, while Turkey has supported armed opposition factions. Russia intervened in the conflict in 2015, joining efforts with Iranian forces and using its air power to support Assad’s fledgling army. Usakov said the two sides would discuss efforts to encourage a political settlement, while Erdogan is expected to accept Turkey’s threats of a new military offensive in northern Syria to drive US-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters from its borders. The operation is part of Turkey’s plan to create a safe zone along its border with Syria that will encourage the voluntary return of Syrian refugees. In a meeting with Erdogan, Khamenei issued a stern warning against the planned Turkish invasion. “Any kind of military attack on northern Syria will definitely harm Turkey, Syria and the entire region and benefit terrorists,” Iran’s supreme leader said, stressing the need to “end the issue through talks.” Iran and Turkey signed a series of preliminary agreements covering investment, diplomacy, media and business, among other areas, and pledged to triple bilateral trade to $30 billion. Raisi hailed Erdogan’s visit as a “turning point” in their relations. In his speech, Erdogan called for solidarity in the fight against Kurdish militants, as well as a network led by a US-based Muslim cleric whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016. “They are nuisances that disturb the tranquility of the countries where they are present,” he said. “We have to continue to lead the fight against them.” Humanitarian issues in Syria have also come under the spotlight since Russia used its veto power in the UN Security Council last week to impose a restriction on aid deliveries to 4.1 million people in northwest Syria controlled by the rebels after six months, instead of one year. Talks on lifting the Russian blockade and introducing Ukraine’s grain to world markets will also be on the agenda. Last week, UN, Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish officials reached a tentative agreement on some aspects of a deal to ensure the export of 22 million tonnes of grain and other agricultural products that have been stuck in Ukraine’s Black Sea ports since the fighting. Tuesday’s meeting between Putin and Erdogan could help clear remaining hurdles, an important step toward easing a food crisis that has sent prices of vital commodities such as wheat and barley skyrocketing.
Isachenkov reported from Moscow. Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey contributed.
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