Envoy Hopes for Further Development of Iran-Russia Economic Ties

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanayee expressed the hope that bilateral economic relations between Tehran and Moscow would further expand in the current year.

Date: 25 April 2015 - 21:08

News ID: ۱۳۱۵۷

Sanayee made the remarks, addressing a forum in the presence of President of Saint-Petersburg University Nikolay Kropachev in Moscow on Saturday.
"The decrease in (economic) relations in 2012-2014 stopped in 2014 and we hope to witness an eye-catching leap in the current Iranian year (which started on March 21) as a result of the measures that have been adopted," he said.
Sanayee said Iranian and Russian presidents have had good talks in recent months, and the volume of political meetings between the two countries stands at unprecedented levels.
"The talks between the two countries have made progress, human rights talks have been held between the two countries for the first time and good developments have occurred in nuclear cooperation," he said, indicating that the ground is now prepared for a long jump in the expansion of Tehran-Moscow relations.
In the last several years, Iran and Russia have had vast cooperation in different fields, specially in political and economic spheres.
The two states also enjoy special positions on the international scene and have long had constant and regular consultations on key regional and global issues.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said last week that Moscow and Tehran had started barter trade through supplying Iran with Russia's grains, equipment and construction materials in lieu of Iran's crude oil.
"I wanted to draw your attention to the rolling out of the oil-for-goods deal, which is on a very significant scale," Ryabkov told Russian senators.
"In exchange for Iranian crude oil supplies, we are delivering certain products. This is not banned or limited under the current sanctions regime," he added.
In December, Russian Minister of Economic Development Aleksey Valentinovich Ulyukayev announced that his country had proposed a framework for barter trade with Iran.
"Moscow intends to sell wheat and industrial products to Iran in exchange for oil," Ulyukayev said in Tehran at the time.
He noted that he has proposed the barter trade during his ongoing visit to Tehran, and said, "I hope we reach an agreement in the near future in this regard."
Meantime, Russian Economic Development Minister Alexey Ulyukaev said that Moscow plans to enhance export of its goods to Iran, adding that the two countries are working on developing ways to make mutual payments in national currencies.