TEHRAN– Russia is set to increase its customs cooperation with Iran and sign pertinent documents of collaboration in near future, said Andrey Belyaninov Head of the Federal Customs Service of Russia in his meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei.

The two officials met in Moscow on February 10, the IRNA news agency reported.

Belyaninov said a delegation of Russian customs administration would visit Tehran in near future to finalize customs agreements, adding that development of an Iran-Russia green corridor would facilitate trade between the two sides.

He further noted that the two countries’ customs could expand collaboration through the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

The North-South Transport Corridor will connect Northern Europe to Southeast Asia. It will serve as a bridge to connect the railways of Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia.

Export Projects Support Director of the Russian Export Center Konstantin Evstyukhin said in February that one of the first overseas trading houses of Russia will be set up in Iran.

In November 2015, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said the volume of deals between Russia and Iran may grow by $3-4 billion within three years.

Russia was the 18th major importer of Iranian non-oil goods in the previous Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 2015, with importing $296.509 million of non-oil goods from Iran.

Russia exported $667.18 million of non-oil products to Iran in the past year.

SJ/MA/