TEHRAN – Iran and Russia have signed four documents for cooperation in a variety of areas at the end of the two countries’ 16th Joint Economic Committee meeting in Russia on Tuesday, Shana reported.

The strategic document for the development of bilateral relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation was signed by Iranian Oil Minister Javad Oji and Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who co-chaired the meeting.

A loan MOU was also signed between Iran’s Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Ali Fekri and Vladimir Ilyichev, Russia’s deputy economy minister for the signaling of the Incheh Borun-Garmsar railway project. 

Meanwhile, a bilateral memorandum was also signed by Mohammad-Hossein Niknam, the director-general of international cooperation at Iran’s Ministry of Health and Medical Education, and Russia’s Deputy Minister of Health Sergey Glagolov for cooperation in the field of health and medical education.

Also, another MOU was signed between an Iranian and a Russian holding for the implementation of EPC projects for product transfer pipelines.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the event, Oji said that the Iranian Oil Ministry, as the body in charge of the Iran-Russia Joint Economic Committee, will not only take all the necessary measures to expand strategic cooperation between the two sides in the energy sector, but it will also support the cooperation between all Iranian and Russian ministries, organizations, institutions, and companies.

He underlined the need for establishing extensive banking cooperation between the two countries for creating a suitable and reliable payment mechanism in order to facilitate mutual trade and investment, as well as swapping energy carriers, especially gas, crude oil, and petroleum products.

The minister said that the expansion of cooperation between Iran and Russia will make international sanctions against the two countries ineffective.

Oji also called for the mutual acceptance of the standard systems of the two countries with the aim of developing trade, and exchange of agricultural products, including the import of grain from Russia and the export of tropical agricultural products to Russia.

The Iranian oil minister underlined the capacities of Iran and Russia in different areas and the sanctions targeting both countries, expressing hope that the signed MOUs and agreements in the meeting will lead to a positive expansion of economic relations between the two countries.

Emphasizing that all the agreements reached and discussed in the 16th Joint Economic Committee of Iran and Russia are actually based on the topics agreed upon by the presidents of the two countries, he said: "The Iranian Oil Ministry will use all its power to follow up on the agreements reached in this meeting because we believe that these agreements are a blueprint for the solid structure of cooperation between the two countries.”

The minister stressed that holding the 16th meeting of the Joint Economic Committee of the two countries will bring good results, saying: “In the future, the level of relations between the two countries will increase day by day, especially in the economic field.”

EF/MA

Photo: Iranian Oil Minister Javad Oji (R) and Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak exchange signed MOU documents.