TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- A flotilla of Iranian warships has left the country’s northern territorial waters for Russia in a bid to convey the Islamic Republic’s message of peace and friendship.
The naval fleet, comprised of the domestically-manufactured Damavand destroyer and a missile-launching frigate, dubbed Derafsh, set sail for Makhachkala, the capital city of the Republic of Dagestan.
The flotilla is the fourth fleet dispatched by the Iranian Navy in its northern waters. The Navy has previously sent three fleets to Russia and one to Azerbaijan.
The commander of Iran's fleet of warships in the northern province of Gilan, Admiral Ahmad Reza Baqeri, said the fleet’s voyage would last for one week and it would stay in Makhachkala for three days.
He added that the trip is aimed at strengthening cooperation on upholding security in the Caspian Sea and meeting with senior Russian naval officials.
Makhachkala is located on the western shore of the Caspian Sea.
Late last month, Iranian naval forces launched the final stage of a large-scale drill north of the Indian Ocean to enhance their defense capabilities.
Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced the beginning of the maneuver, code-named Velayat 95, on February 26.
"The aim of the Velayat 95 drill is to upgrade the country's defensive capabilities and send Iran's message of peace and friendship to the regional countries," the Navy chief said aboard the Sahand warship.  
In recent years, Iran’s Navy has also increased its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for merchant vessels and tankers.
In line with international efforts against piracy, the Iranian Navy has been conducting patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, safeguarding merchant containers and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran or other countries.
Iran’s Navy has managed to foil several attacks on both Iranian and foreign tankers during its missions in international waters.
On Wednesday, Sayyari highlighted the influence of the Islamic Republic and neighboring Pakistan in regional developments, saying the two countries are known as "key players” in the Middle East.
Both Iran and Pakistan are located in the energy zone of the world and this increases their "geopolitical weight”, he said in a meeting with a delegation from the Pakistan Navy War College.
"Also the fact that much of the world’s oil exports are transported in the northern Indian Ocean increases the two countries’ (geopolitical) weight," he stated.
The commander went on to say that Iran and Pakistan are "key players” in the region given their important geographical location.
He also announced that the Iranian Navy plans to hold joint drills with a naval fleet from the Pakistani army next month.
On September 27, 2016, an Iranian fleet of warships berthed at Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi to attend a joint naval relief and rescue drill with Pakistani naval forces.
Four vessels and a helicopter attended the drill on behalf of Iran, including Lavan logistic warship, Falakhan and Khanjar missile-launching vessels and Konarak warship.
Also in April 2016, two warships of the Pakistani Navy docked at Iran’s southern port of Bandar Abbas for four days.