TEHRAN - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that a delegation of 80 major companies from his country will visit Iran next week, Russian state-owned news agency RIA reported.

Putin made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Speaking at the meeting, Putin stressed that Moscow’s and Tehran’s stances are close or coincide on many international issues, saying, “Inter-regional ties are developing. We actively cooperate on the international arena and on many [points] our positions are close, or, as diplomats say, coincide.”

"As we agreed with you, we have done everything for Iran to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Our partners in this organization have supported your application; all that is left is one last formality. It is indeed a formality, and Iran is joining this already serious, large, and authoritative international organization," Putin said.

On Wednesday night, Iran signed a memorandum of commitment on the path to fully join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Moscow expressed that it is "extremely thrilled" that Iran also wanted to join the Eurasian political, economic, and security union, which includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and four ex-Soviet Central Asian countries.

The Iranian president, for his part, said the Islamic Republic is "seriously determined to develop bilateral strategic relations" with Russia in the fields of politics, economy, trade, and aerospace, adding that the cooperation among countries sanctioned by the United States would make them "stronger.”

"The relationship between countries that are sanctioned by the U.S., such as Iran, Russia or other countries, can overcome many problems and issues and make them stronger," Raisi told Putin in the meeting.

Raisi also underlined that Tehran’s membership in the SCO and its relationship with member states "can greatly help on the path of economic development for Iran and the development of the region."

EF/MA