OPINION: Russia Should Boost Military Ties With Iran Amid Standoff With West.

MOSCOW, April 4 (RIA Novosti) - Iran may become Moscow's number one choice in Russia's impending search for a new "reliable partner" in global defense and security affairs amid worsening ties with the West, a Russian military expert said on Friday.

Ties between Moscow and the West plunged to record lows in recent weeks by disagreements over the status of Crimea, which rejoined Russia after 60 years as part of Ukraine last month. In the ongoing diplomatic strife that followed, NATO froze all practical aspects of its military cooperation with Russia earlier this week, while the US and EU imposed sanctions on Russian officials.

"The current state of affairs can re-ignite the Cold War between Russia and the West... In this situation, Russia is compelled to search for new opportunities to sustain global stability and to build mutually beneficial trade, economic and political relations with other global centers of power," said Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the National Defense monthly Russian-language magazine and head of the Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade.

"I think, Iran may become a reliable partner," the expert said during a RIA Novosti roundtable.

http://en.ria.ru/russia/20140404/189039256/OPINION-Russia-Should-Boost-Military-Ties-With-Iran-Amid.html