PREVIEW - Putin To Meet Tuesday With Armenian, Iranian Leaders On EAEU Summit Margins

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st October, 2019) Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Armenia on Tuesday for a summit of Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) leaders and bilateral talks with his Iranian counterpart and the Armenian prime minister.

The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, the highest supranational body of the Eurasian Economic Union, is meeting in Armenia's Yerevan. It is made up of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Moldova will be an observer state, while Iran and Singapore are honorary guests.

The EAEU was launched in January 2015 to streamline trade in goods and services among the five member states. Their combined population is estimated at over 180 million. The bloc has a trade deal with Iran which will enjoy a preferential trade status.

Putin will meet separately with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the council's sidelines.

Putin and Rouhani last had a bilateral meeting in Ankara on September 16 on the fringe of a trilateral summit featuring Turkey.

Their fresh meeting comes amid renewed efforts by signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal to rescue the landmark pact with Iran as the United States pushes ahead with its "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran. The Islamic Republic has also been trying to push back against increasing US military presence in the Persian Gulf and has proposed a regional Coalition for Hope.