Speaking at the opening ceremony of the first meeting of governors of Caspian coastal provinces in Rasht, Araghchi said Iran’s neighboring countries remain its top foreign-policy priority.

He noted that Iran enjoys “excellent” relations with all Caspian littoral states and has established strategic ties with some of them.

Highlighting Tehran’s partnership with Moscow, he said, “The relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation are a strategic partnership.”

He pointed out that the presidents of the two countries signed a 20-year comprehensive cooperation agreement last year, describing ongoing political, economic, and international exchanges between the two countries as close and continuous.

Pointing to recent and upcoming high-level visits, Araghchi said President Masoud Pezeshkian has already travelled to Russia and Azerbaijan and is scheduled to visit Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in the coming month.

He said such engagements reflect the strong ties among the leaders of Caspian-region countries and their shared approach to regional interests and concerns.

Araghchi stressed the Caspian Sea’s significance in energy, transit corridors, and trade connectivity, saying cooperation among the five coastal states, based on common interests and sometimes shared concerns, has been under way for years.

Boosting economic and commercial exchanges through Caspian maritime routes is of “extraordinary importance” for all countries in the region, the foreign minister added.

The minister also noted the role of Iran’s northern provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran, and Golestan as major domestic tourist destinations. He expressed hope that these provinces would also become preferred destinations for visitors from other Caspian states.

The two-day meeting in Rasht, held under the theme “Caspian: Bridge for Friendship and Regional Development,” opened on Tuesday with senior Iranian and foreign officials in attendance.

The gathering was convened at Iran’s initiative to strengthen regional cooperation, expand economic interaction, and coordinate efforts aimed at sustainable development and environmental protection in the world’s largest enclosed inland water body.

Delegations from nine foreign regions and five Iranian provinces are participating in the event, which seeks to promote practical collaboration on issues ranging from trade and transit to ecological preservation and tourism development across the Caspian basin.