President Sends Congratulatory Message to Putin

In a message to his Russian counterpart, President Hassan Rouhani called for closer cooperation between the two countries at the international level. Rouhani congratulated Russia on its national day in the message to Vladimir Putin on Monday, Tasnim News Agency reported.  He expressed hope that Tehran and Moscow would enhance bilateral, regional and international collaboration in light of the "major progress" in ties in recent years and in view of age-old relations. Russia Day is a national holiday in the Russian Federation, celebrated on June 12. In 1990, Russia's Parliament formally declared Russian sovereignty from the Soviet Union. Russia Day has been celebrated every year since 1992. Iran and Russia have formed a strong alliance in recent years. Both support the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government against a foreign-backed militancy. Also since January 2016, when the Iran nuclear deal with major powers took effect, Tehran and Moscow have ramped up efforts to boost trade and political interaction.