Tehran, Iran, November 3
By Mehdi Sepahvand -- Trend:
A senior Iranian politician has said that the existence of opportunities in Iran and Russia are likely to lead to more comprehensive relations between the two countries in the future.
There are various opportunities in economics, industry, culture, and other areas in Iran and Russia, where the two sides might cooperate, said Mohammad Hashemi, former member of the Expediency Council, in an interview with Trend November 3.
He further pointed out that Iran's foreign policy is to engage in relations with countries that do not follow policies that are hostile to the Islamic Republic.
"Russia used to be our neighbor and is still in our region as a globally powerful country," noted Hashemi, who is the brother of Iran's ex-president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Of note, there have been frequent visits between Iranian and Russia officials in recent months.
Additionally, Iran's ambassador to Moscow said November 1 that a new era in relations between Iran and Russia has begun.
Mehdi Sanaei referred to the post-sanctions era as a new chapter in Tehran-Moscow ties, which paves the way for further cooperation.
He also said that the two countries have shown their intentions to expand bilateral relations. To prove the claim, he noted, Russia has opened a line of credit, worth $5 billion, to finance joint industrial and economic projects. Also, the two countries have signed an agreement on launching joint ventures.
On October 16, Sanaei said Russia's Energy Minister, Alexander Novak, who was preparing to visit Iran, would discuss ways of increasing bilateral trade, with the annual turnover between Russia and Iran expected to increase from the current $2 billion to $10 billion.