Baku, Azerbaijan, May 19
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
Andrei Alexandrovich Fursenko, aide to President of the Russian Federation, has called for enhancing ties with Iran in all fields.
Fursenko, who leads a visiting economic delegation to Tehran, said the two countries have launched a strategic cooperation for developing modern technologies, Iran's IRNA news agency reported on May 19.
"Tehran and Moscow have adopted similar policies to attain self-sufficiency in the areas of medicine, energy, food, and security," he said.
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on May 15 that trade exchanges between the two countries have shrunk in recent years due to a number of issues, including sanctions.
It should also be noted that Iran's Ambassador to Moscow Mehdi Sanaei and Russian Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Moiseev recently underscored the necessity of establishing joint financial institutions to promote economic cooperation between Iran and Russia.
On May 7, the two officials urged closer cooperation in banking and insurance. They also called for further coordination to organize the 11th meeting of the Iran-Russia Joint Economic Commission, which is scheduled to be held in Tehran.
Iran-Russia trade currently totals $5 billion a year, but economists say the two countries can at least quadruple the volume of their trade exchanges.