Curious bedfellows. There's more here than meets the eye!

Putin meets with Ahmadinejad to strengthen Russian-Iranian alliance amidst Mideast drama.

In Uncategorized on July 4, 2013 at 5:21 am

Putin meets Ahmadinejad on July 2, 2013. (photo: Kremlin)

With a military coup underway in Egypt and a horrific civil war underway in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to meet with out-going Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to strengthen the emerging Russian-Iranian alliance.

Here is the statement that was posted on Putin’s official website:

Vladimir Putin and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad discussed current bilateral cooperation issues.

At the meeting, the two presidents discussed, in particular, the prospects for increasing trade between the two countries and cooperation in the energy sector. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad informed Mr. Putin that the construction of a nuclear power plant in Bushehr has been completed and the plant was put into operation.

The previous day, Iran’s president took part in the Second Summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum

[The Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) unites nations controlling 73 percent of the world’s natural gas reserves and producing 42 percent of the global output. The GECF’s member states are Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Islamic Republic of Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Kazakhstan and Norway have observer status. The GECF is headquartered in Doha, Qatar.]