Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif has declared that he has set a record with his current and 30th visit to Moscow, RIA Novosti reports.

Before starting talk with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Zarif said the following: “I am very thankful that you are hosting me for the 30th time. I believe I have set a record with the number of visits to Russia out of all the foreign ministers of Iran.”

All the members of the Iranian delegation, including Zarif arrived for the talks with face masks, but Zarif removed his face mask when he saw that Lavrov wasn’t wearing one.

Zarif emphasized that the current relations between Tehran and Moscow are ‘the best in the past decades’.

“Iran is very hopeful that we will enhance these relations as strongly as possible and will make them more constructive in the long run, and, of course, this will benefit our two countries. These relations are hinged on mutual respect, and they will also bring peace and security to the region,” Zarif concluded.