TEHRAN -- Russian President Vladimir Putin will host his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi in Moscow on Wednesday, the Kremlin said.
The meeting will be Raisi’s most important official visit abroad since he took office in August, and the first visit by an Iranian president to Russia since 2017.
The presidents will discuss the “whole range of issues of bilateral cooperation,” including implementation of the nuclear deal that has been on life support since the U.S. abandoned it in 2018, the Kremlin said in a statement.
Moscow and Tehran have strong political, economic and military ties, shared interests in Afghanistan, and are key allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad in his country’s decade-long war on foreign-backed terrorists.
This will be Raisi’s third visit outside Iran — after Tajikistan and neighboring Turkmenistan — since he took over the presidency in August from Hassan Rouhani.
The Iranian side confirmed the visit, saying Raisi would leave Wednesday for a two-day trip to Russia together with the country’s oil, foreign and economy ministers.
A Russian lawmaker told reporters that Raisi would speak at the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, on Thursday, while TASS news agency cited a source as saying he would meet with religious leaders at Moscow’s main mosque.
Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian said that Iran’s new administration seeks to deepen ties with Moscow, and that Iran and Russia are determined to update a 20-year cooperation treaty they signed in 2001.
It “has a new road map based on a balanced, active, dynamic and smart foreign policy, which lays an emphasis on cooperating with all neighbors, especially the Russian Federation, and advancing economic diplomacy,” he said in an article for the Sputnik news agency’s Persian service.
“For their bilateral relations, the two countries are determined to update the Treaty on the Basis of Mutual Relations and Principles of Cooperation between Iran and Russia in harmony with global developments,” Amir-Abdollahian said.
The agreement, signed in March 2001, was originally meant to last four 10 years, but it has twice been extended for five years.
Relying on their rich civilizations, both Iran and Russia are seeking to create a bright future in mutual relations and play an active role in regional and international developments on the path to peace and stability, the foreign minister said.
Iran, he said, views Russia as a powerful neighbor and a friend on the basis of “cooperation, respect and mutual interests” and seeks a “meaningful leap” forward in various fields of cooperation and exchanges of high-ranking delegations.
Amir-Abdollahian said cooperation on common interests is “stronger than ever” and has “surpassed the boundaries of bilateral ties”.
As two regional powers, Iran and Russia play a unique role in resolving regional conflicts and fighting terrorism, he said.
“The two countries have a common view that the Middle East region is facing numerous problems, including war, instability and insecurity, due to foreign intervention and the dominance of security-oriented thinking,” he said.
Bilateral consultations are underway to settle regional issues and reinforce stability in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Libya, he added.
Iran has a maritime border with Russia, which is the largest country in the world in size, through the Caspian Sea. Iran in the south and Russia in the north of the Caspian Sea - each with strategic access to the world’s free zones and open seas – have extended neighbors.
Iran’s exports to Russia in the first nine months of the current Persian year which ends on March 20 increased by 58%, including 62% in agricultural and food products, a review of trade between the two countries shows.
According to statistics, Iran exported 828,602 tonnes of goods worth $432 million to Russia in the first nine months of the current Persian year. It also imported 2.7 million tonnes of goods worth $ 1.2 billion from Russia in the period.

That compares with 548,577 tonnes of goods worth $275 million which Iran exported to Russia during the same period in 2020 against 2.4 tonnes worth about $802 million which it imported from the country.
This translates to a 58% growth in value year on year and 51% in weight of Iranian exports as well as 53% in value and 11% in weight of Iranian imports in trade with Russia.
Surveys also show agricultural and food products, including seafood and dairy products, accounted for 62% of Iran’s exports.
Other Iranian exports to Russia include a variety of minerals such as salt and zinc sulfate which is used as a dietary supplement to treat zinc deficiency.
Russia also imports polyethylene, activated carbon, cement, building materials, medicine, paint, shampoo, plastic sheets, clothing, leather bags, kitchen appliances, flooring, car accessories, fibers, carpets, building stones, industrial stones, all kinds of glass, tiles and ceramics, heaters, doors and windows, home appliances, ironware, gas and water tanks, industrial and bakery machines, radiators, sofas, clocks, watches, medical and laboratory equipment from Iran.
According to official figures, the trade balance of $791 million is tilted in favor of Russia. However, trade between the two countries has grown almost identically. In other words, both Iran’s exports to Russia and Russia’s exports to Iran have grown by 58%, which shows the improvement of trade processes between the two countries.
“Although the trade balance is in favor of Russia, statistics show that the two countries have had the same trade growth,” Muhammad Akbari, an economist, told Mehr news agency. “Iran and Russia are both under sanctions; they are almost in the same neighborhood. If the two countries expand trade relations, not only will they make sanctions ineffective, they will also build a business relationship that benefits both sides because of their proximity.”
Akbari said Iran used to import livestock inputs only from Brazil, but it is now sourcing some of the feed from Russia.
“These things will increase the dependence of the two countries on each other and, of course, other countries such as the Eurasian Economic Union member states, which will ultimately lead to regional stability,” he said.
An increase in bilateral trade is certainly indicative of Moscow and Tehran’s seriousness about forging closer ties. They have been planning a number of joint projects in oil, gas, nuclear and railway sectors and have signaled the imminent signing of a 20-year cooperation agreement.
Iran has always hoped that closer ties will help economically integrate it with Russia and with its other northern neighbors in Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
In 2002, Russia, Iran, and India signed an agreement for the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a 7,200 km multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road route for moving freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
The INSTC is seen a game-changer that will shorten the distance and lower the cost of transportation from South Asia to Europe through Iran and Russia and potentially serve as an alternative to the Suez Canal for East-West trade.