Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov is to visit Tehran on Sunday to hold talks with senior Iranian officials on mutual issues and the latest regional developments, particularly the crisis in Syria. A diplomatic source told Russian news agency TASS on Saturday that Bogdanov, who is the Russian presidential envoy for Middle East and Africa, would arrive in Tehran on Sunday for a two-day visit. “The agenda includes a number of regional issues, including Syria,” the source said. The source noted that the sides would also exchange views about the battle against terrorism and Tehran-Moscow cooperation. The trip comes as a ceasefire agreement in Syria, brokered by Russia and the United States, entered into force on February 27. The Syrian government accepted the terms of the truce on condition that military efforts against terrorists of the self-styled Islamic State group and the Al-Nusra Front, which are excluded from the ceasefire, continue. The conflict in Syria, which flared in March 2011, has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and left millions injured and displaced.
