February 5, 2009: Russia’s state nuclear corporation announced that Russia would complete Iran’s first nuclear power plant in the city of Bushehr by the end of 2009. Russia launched the estimated $1 billion project in 1995 and began supplying the plant with enriched nuclear fuel in December 2007. The fuel deliveries were completed in January 2008.
February 13, 2009: During a four-day visit to Russia, Turkish President Abdullah Gul signed a joint declaration with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. The declaration set out to improve ties between the countries, including increasing security and coordination in the Caucasus and Black Sea region.
March 18, 2009: Russian news agencies reported that Russia and Iran signed a contract two years ago to supply Iran with sophisticated S-300 missiles, but stated that the weapons had not yet been delivered. Russian officials have never acknowledged the existence of such a contract. The United States and Israel have urged Russia not to sell the weapons to Iran.
April 10, 2009: Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin said that the Russian military signed a $50 million contract to buy unmanned aerial vehicles from Israel. This was the first time Israel sold military hardware to Russia.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki visited Moscow to meet with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Their talks addressed the $3.7 billion energy-exploration contract signed by Lukoil, Russia’s largest oil company, in 1996 but canceled by the Hussein government in 2002. Following his visit, Maliki said a Lukoil delegation would soon visit Iraq and that future talks would address the possibility of reviving the contract.
May 16, 2009: In a visit to Moscow, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Putin and discussed extending their Blue Stream pipeline contract, which is set to expire in 2012. The pipeline sends natural gas from Russia to Turkey under the Black Sea. Putin said a plan to construct a second branch of the pipeline will continue in separate meetings. The leaders also discussed switching to national currencies in bilateral trade.
May 24, 2009: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. Lavrov expressed Moscow’s desire to host a Middle East peace conference. Lavrov also met with Hamas leader, Khaled Meshal. Russia is the only Quartet member that maintains contacts with Hamas.
June 2, 2009: In a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Avidgor Lieberman, Lavrov confirmed that Russia would not sell weapons in the Middle East that upset the regional balance of power. The officials also discussed the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and Iran.
June 16, 2009: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Russia, his first trip abroad following the Iranian elections four days earlier. He met with Medvedev, who congratulated him on his re-election. The leaders also discussed economic and humanitarian ties.
July 17, 2009: Alexander Sultanov, Russian deputy foreign minister and special envoy for the Middle East peace process, began a regional tour, visiting Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories. He discussed the Middle East peace process and other regional issues.
July 29, 2009: Russia and Iran held their first joint naval exercise in the Caspian Sea to train for search and rescue operations and combat environmental pollution, according to Iranian officials.
