Iran’s Ambassador to Moscow said on Monday that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is due to pay a visit to Tehran to sign an action plan for economic cooperation with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Eurasia Diary reports citing IRNA.
Kazem Jalali, Iranian Ambassador to Moscow, said in an exclusive interview with IRNA on Monday that Russia’s Lavrov was set to arrive at Tehran on Tuesday to meet Iranian officials and discuss bilateral, regional and international issues including the JPOCA, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan and economic issues.
Jalali said that the Lavrov’s trip is significant because it’s taking place after the Supreme Leader of Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei and Russian President Vladimir Putin recently exchanged messages, which according to him, contained important points on Tehran-Moscow cooperation.
Highlighting the challenges from the US and the West that Russia is faced with on its borders and through US sanctions, the diplomat said that Iran’s has been suffering from similar challenges for forty years and now the two countries could share a common perspective on regional and international issues.
He suggested that Iran, Russia and China could play a pivotal role in creating a sanctions-resistant block to gather countries sanctioned by the US and Europe together.
Jalali said that Iran and Russia share lots of common viewpoints on many issues, including on Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen as well as Iran’s stance on the JCPOA.
Iran and Russia have a key role in the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC), according to the diplomat who underlined that it is in the interest of both countries to take serious action to finalize the corridor.
Jalali said that Iran and Russia have a cooperation treaty in place which is extended every five years, but the two sides are willing to update treaty and agreed that Iran produces a draft for this purpose.
The diplomat was referring to the Treaty on the basis for mutual relations and the principles of cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation which was signed on March 12, 2001.
He stated that the draft would be handed over to Russia after it is reviewed by relevant agencies in Iran and it would be signed by Presidents of Iran and Russia to become effective.
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