Iran, Russia, India confer on expanding trilateral cooperation

Iran, Russia and India held a trilateral meeting in Moscow on Sunday, and exchanged views on the threats of the modern world and obstacles on the way to expanding regional cooperation between the neighboring states.

Delegations from Iran, Russia and India attended the two-day trilateral event organized by the Russkiy Mir Foundation, where the participants discussed means of improving, bolstering and broadening cooperation between Russia, Iran and India.

Iranian Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei, as well as Chairman of the Political and International Research Institute of Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Seyyed Kazem Sajjadpour represented the Islamic Republic of Iran in the event.

Addressing the meeting, Iranian ambassador to Russia stressed the importance of coordination and trilateral collaborations between the three states stressing that the implementation of joint projects should be facilitated.

The official pointed to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the International North-South Stream, and the Iran-Pakistan-India gas project with the cooperation of Russia as highly important joint initiatives.

Noting that the North-South Stream is of great significance to Iran and Russia, Sanaei said that participation in the project can also be highly important and beneficial to New Delhi. The Iranian official noted that there are trilateral projects in which Iran, Russia and India are involved.
Referring to the long-term strategic ties between the Islamic Republic and Russia, Sanaei said the two countries are making every effort to boost mutual economic ties.  Iranian Ambassador to Russia touched upon Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) between the two countries to facilitate visa issuance, and said that such agreements have been signed between Iran and India in the past.

During the meeting, Chairman of the Committee on Education and Science at the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Nikonov reiterated Moscow’s interest in expanding ties with the neighbors, and expressed Russia’s readiness to develop bilateral ties with Iran.

The two-day expert-level meeting hosted senior experts and authorities of the three countries to exchange their views on the threats facing the world and also the problems ahead of regional cooperation.

EA