Moscow-Tehran coop. fruitful for both nations, region: Iran president
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has pointed to economic, transit, and banking cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, arguing that such economic collaborations are beneficial for both nations, as well as the whole region.
President Raisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of the 22nd summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Thursday.
In the meeting, both officials reviewed economic exchanges and expressed satisfaction with the eye-catching progress of mutual cooperation in banking, marine and road transportation, customs, and energy fields.
The Iranian chief executive referred to the expansionist policies of NATO, as well as the recent developments in the Caucasus region, saying that any sort of shift in the geopolitics of the region is considered a destabilizing act, which is not acceptable.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Raisi stipulated that the US is of the opinion that the imposition of sanctions on other countries can stop that government or nation, but it is a miscalculation because the Americans restrict themselves in practice.
For his part, the Russian president evaluated Iran-Russia stances on different topics as synchronized and convergent, adding that NATO's threat is not limited to Europe, but encompasses other countries throughout the globe.
The Russian president also pointed to the Iran-Russia trade, which increased 81 percent last year and 30 percent in the first five months of this year, adding that a Russian delegation, consisting of representatives of 80 big companies, will be dispatched to Iran in the next week.
He also said that a host delegation of Russian officials traveled to Iran in May and that the Russians expressed surprise at the development of advanced technologies in the Islamic Republic.
According to the Russian chief executive, the regional affiliations are growing and the stances of both Tehran and Moscow are similar in many cases.
Lauding Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei for his support for the progress of many joint projects, Putin expressed hope that the Supreme Leader will continue to support a good relationship with Russia in the future.