Russia, Belarus, China, Iran and North Korea strengthen high-level dialogue

Public meetings between officials from Russia, Belarus, China, Iran and North Korea have increased sharply in recent days, with at least 10 high-level bilateral meetings between April 22 and 26, highlighting the deepening multilateral partnership, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on April 27.

Specifically, on April 26, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attended a meeting of defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members in Astana, Kazakhstan. On this occasion, Mr. Shoigu met with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun on the sidelines of the event and emphasized the “unprecedented” level of Russia-China relations.

Shoigu also met with Iranian Defense Minister Mohammed Reza Ashtiani and stated that Moscow is ready to expand Russian-Iranian military and military-technical cooperation. Dong Jun and Ashtiani held a bilateral meeting and called for strengthening China-Iran cooperation, including in the defense and military spheres.

Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin also met with his Chinese and Iranian counterparts at the SCO meeting. The April 26 SCO meeting marked Iran's first participation as a member state of the organization since it officially joined in July 2023.

The SCO meetings are just the latest in a series of bilateral meetings between Russia, Belarus, China, Iran and North Korea. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Representative of the President of Russia for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov met with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani in Moscow on April 26.

Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev met with Politburo member and Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission of China Chen Wenqing on April 23 in St. Petersburg and discussed strengthening cooperation between Russian and Chinese intelligence agencies.

Patrushev also met with Secretary of Iran's National Security Council Ali Akbar Ahmadian in St. Petersburg on April 24 and they signed a memorandum of understanding between the two countries' security councils. Meanwhile, a North Korean delegation led by Minister of Foreign Economic Relations Yun Jong Ho visited Iran on April 23.

Head of the Belarusian Defense Ministry's International Military Cooperation Service, Major General Valery Revenko, met with Iranian Deputy Defense Minister and Rector of the Malek Ashtar Technological University Mehdi Jafari on April 22 in Minsk.

According to ISW, although the details and outcomes of these various bilateral meetings remain unclear, the public increase in the number and frequency of such events is notable and represents increased dialogue between the parties concerned to promote their military and political cooperation in competition and confrontation with the West.