The meeting in Baku was the second time in the last five months that Hamid Sajjadi and his Russian counterpart Oleg Matytsin meet.
The 7th International Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials Responsible for Physical Education and Sport (MINEPS VII) is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 26 to 29 June 2023.
The Russian sports minister said he was grateful to Iran for inviting Russian athletes to participate in the Nowruz Games, which were held earlier this year in March in Tehran.
Matytsin attached great importance to his meeting with the Iranian counterpart.
Elsewhere he criticized some countries for being against Russia and discriminating against Russian athletes and sports teams, hailing sports cooperation with Iran.
Referring to Russia's sports programs in the coming year and next year, 2024, he said, "We plan to host open tournaments in various sports fields, and here I would like to invite Iranian athletes to participate in those competitions."
The Russian minister also emphasized the participation of Iranian athletes in world student competitions. He also expressed appreciation for Iran's participation in the Kazan "Figital" games and presented a report on the organization of these competitions.
Hamid Sajjadi, for this part, expressed appreciation for the participation of Russian athletes in the Nowruz Games hosted by Iran and said, "I would suggest that Iran and Russia, as two independent states need to use sports potentials that membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization provides. We can help each other plan the Shanghai sports competition."
Referring to the interactions between the two countries and the recent talks between the presidents of Iran and Russia, the Iranian sports minister said, "Some governments seek to destabilize the independent governments like Iran and Russia, but the two countries stand by each other in difficult times."
Sajjadi added, "Iran and Russia can expand sports interactions more than before and we are serious about this matter. Our General Director of International Affairs [at the sports ministry] presented a report on the sports and youth affairs relations between the two countries, which shows the high level of these relations."
The Iranian minister went on to thank his Russian counterpart for hosting Iranian athletes in the Kazan "Figital" games.
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