Russia a ‘priority country’ in Iran's neighborhood first policy: Envoy

Iran’s ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali says Tehran regards its ties with Moscow as “a priority” under President Ebrahim Raeisi’s new policy of revitalizing relations with neighboring states.

"Russia is a priority country for Iran to develop relations with," Jalali said in remarks Thursday at the St. Petersburg 25th International Economic Forum (SPIEF) as quoted by the state-run TASS news agency, noting that relations between the two sides have entered a new phase.

The diplomat said Iranian-Russian relations have entered a new phase, TASS news agency reported.

"Our top priority is the development of relations with neighboring countries," the diplomat asserted at the Jan 15-18 annual event, organized by the Roscongress Foundation, a Moscow-based socially oriented non-financial development institution.

Russia ready to cooperate with Iran in car-making industry

Head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) Alireza Peymanpak on Thursday held talks with a Russian presidential advisor on the sidelines of the SPIEF conference and discussed the expansion of bilateral trade, as well as collaborations in industries such as automobile manufacturing and shipbuilding.

According to reports, the two sides also discussed the activation of the North-South transport corridor, banking and currency-exchange cooperation, and joint production of goods.

According to Iran’s TPO, Peymanpak underlined Tehran’s readiness to sign long-term agreements in the field of fruit and vegetable trade in cooperation with commerce chambers in the two countries as part of efforts to expand the volume of exports.

The Russian side, for its part, welcomed the Iranian official’s recommendation to hold joint expos by corporations from the two countries, noting that Russia’s car-making industry is prepared to enter joint ventures with its Iranian counterpart.

Peymanpak earlier stated that Iran and Russia have reached an initial agreement for launching a joint shipbuilding venture in the Caspian Sea region.

“The Russian side has committed to help the Iranian side in the joint manufacturing of ships and also to supply the ships needed by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said a TPO report on Thursday, quoting the organization’s chief.

The report further noted that the two countries also reached an agreement under which Iranian companies will supply domestically manufactured ship parts to shipyards in Russia.

It also added that the agreements are in line with a broader understanding between Iran and Russia to bolster their trade relations along the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a major corridor that connects trade hubs in the region.

Earlier this week, Iran announced the launch of the first pilot transit of cargo between Russia and India through the corridor.

SS