Iran urges speedy implementation of comprehensive cooperation agreement with Russia

Interim President Mohammad Mokhber says Iran and Russia should make necessary decisions to implement a comprehensive bilateral cooperation agreement as soon as possible.

In a meeting with Chairman of Russia's State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky in Tehran on Saturday, Mokhber said mutual ties are based on long-lasting and sustainable interests.

He added that enhanced cooperation between Iran and Russia has formed a new equation in the region.

He stressed the importance of completing the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a project that will facilitate transportation and greatly reduce transportation time.

In 2002, Russia, Iran, and India signed an agreement for the INSTC, a 7,200 km multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road route for moving freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.

Mokhber further expressed Iran's full readiness to implement an agreement on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway, a strategic transport corridor that connects the existing railways of the two countries and Azerbaijan.

The 162-kilometer railway will connect the Iranian city of Rasht, near the Caspian Sea, to Astara on the border with Azerbaijan. 

The project, which is aimed at integrating the transport and information routes of Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran and India, is carried out within the framework of the INSTC.

Slutsky, for his part, said Iran and Russia are resolute on strengthening cooperation and implementing agreements previously clinched between the two countries as soon as possible.  

He added that Iran's membership in the BRICS group of emerging economies has opened a new page in the expansion of relations between Tehran and the countries in the region.

Iran officially became a member of the BRICS at the beginning of 2024, five months after it announced its acceptance as a full member into the group along with Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

BRICS was formed by and initially consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, which collectively represent around 40% of the global population and a quarter of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Iran was among dozens of countries that sought membership in BRICS and had submitted a formal application to join the body.

Iran: Russia ties strategic, founded on unchanging principles

Interim Iranian President Mohammad Mokhber describes the country’s relations with Russia as strategic and founded upon unchanging principles.

In a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, Mokhber pointed to strategic and established bilateral relations based on unchanging principles and said complete implementation of all the agreements, including in the areas of trade, transit, and energy, forms the principal agenda of mutual ties.

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