Moscow is ready to explore the format of the Commonwealth of Nations plus Iran together with partners interested in this initiative, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Penkin said in an interview with TASS.
Iranian President Massoud Pazhkian was the first Iranian leader invited to the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Nations, which took place on October 9 in Turkmenistan, he said, adding that the Russian side was "among the first to support this proposal from the Turkmen side" and greatly appreciated the participation of the leaders of Iran in the summit of the Commonwealth of Nations.
"The idea of creating the CIS + 1 format voiced by Pzheshkian has aroused significant interest in Moscow, as far as we can tell, in the capitals of other CIS countries, as well as within the expert community. The Russian side is ready to work on this initiative with its partners," Pankin said.