Iran-Russia-China military exercise in Indian Ocean not related to U.S. activity in region - ambassador
MOSCOW. Dec 5 (Interfax) - A joint military exercise by Iran, Russia, and China that is due to start in the Indian Ocean on December 27 has long been planned and is not related to an increase in the United States' activity in the region, Iranian Ambassador in Moscow Mehdi Sanaei said.
"Work on this plan was already underway several months ago. A decision was adopted on it," Sanaei said at a press conference in Moscow on Thursday in response to a question from Interfax.
These three countries have similar approaches, and exercises like this indicate a high level of partnership in ensuring regional security, he said.
Hopefully, "other countries in the region will join this approach too, because disagreements and regional disputes could lead to a situation in which other countries create a vacuum and use this vacuum for their own benefit, interfering in the region's affairs," Sanaei said.