ST PETERSBURG, Russia -- Iran and Russia have expanded their cultural cooperation with a series of agreements covering film co-production, orchestral music, arts education and the preservation of Islamic and Iranian written heritage, as Tehran stages a major cultural program across Russia.
The most significant agreement was signed here by Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Abbas Salehi, and Russia’s Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova, following bilateral talks and a meeting of the countries’ Joint Cultural Committee.
The intergovernmental agreement on joint film production establishes a framework for Iranian-Russian co-productions, including investment, production procedures and the distribution and screening of jointly produced films. 
Lyubimova said the agreement would allow filmmakers from both countries to create projects jointly and present them internationally under more favorable conditions.
The agreement follows discussions between the two ministers in June 2025, when Russia said the two governments were preparing a film co-production agreement. 
The latest agreements form part of Iranian Cultural Days in Russia, a program running from September 24 to October 6, with events in St Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan and Astrakhan. The program brings together 168 Iranian artists working across 30 disciplines.
The official Moscow opening is scheduled for Monday, at the Bolshoi Theatre, one of Russia’s best-known performing-arts venues. The program includes an Iranian orchestral performance, visual-arts exhibitions, film screenings and specialist cultural meetings.
Music has emerged as another major area of institutional cooperation.
Muhammad Allahyari Foomani, chief executive of the Rudaki Foundation, met Olga Khomova, head of the Acapella Institute and chair of the Union of Russian Orchestras, to discuss long-term cooperation in orchestral performance, music education, choral music and artist exchanges.
The proposals include bringing a Russian guest conductor to perform with the Tehran Symphony Orchestra, as well as inviting one or two soloists from Russian conservatories in Moscow or St Petersburg for performances in Tehran.
The two sides also discussed specialist masterclasses in instrumental performance and conducting, along with the possibility of joint orchestral performances during future cultural weeks or Iran’s Fajr International Music Festival.
A further proposal would establish