TEHRAN - The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Iran has announced that Tehran and Moscow are finalizing their strategic cooperation treaty.

In a visit to the city of Isfahan on Thursday, Alexey Dedov said the two sides are paving the ground for finalizing the Iran-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership in the near future.

He also expressed hope that the path outlined by late President Ebrahim Raisi to strengthen relations between the two countries will continue.

As a result of signing the strategic treaty between the two nations, Iran and Russia will witness a growth in mutual trade.

Referring to Isfahan as a strategic province for enhancing relations between Iran and Russia, Dedov said that although Russia's exports to Iran, especially Isfahan, has increased, the two sides need to create potential to further boost these exports.

According to Iranian customs reports, Isfahan province's exports to Russia in the first two months of this year crossed one million dollars, nearly five times higher than the figures in the same period last year, he noted.

The Russian ambassador continued that there has been a twofold growth in tourism exchanges between the two nations and that with arriving in Isfahan, he understood why the city is popular among Russian tourists.

He further emphasized the role of Isfahan in the expansion of Iran-Russia and international interactions.

Earlier this month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow and Tehran are continuing their work on a comprehensive bilateral cooperation agreement, although the schedule of specific events may shift.

Also Russia's RIA state news agency reported that the agreement had been temporarily suspended due to problems faced by Iranian partners, however, Iran's Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali said this was not the case.

Iran and Russia have been working on this agreement for two years, and the latest draft of the texts are being exchanged.

According to Jalali, this text must be adjusted and coordinated with various institutions inside the country which takes time.

“Our efforts have been and are to get this agreement signed by the authorities of the two countries in 2024,” he said.

Jalali added that currently, the text is in Iran's hands, hoping that various institutions respond as soon as possible to sign the agreement.

He further said that during a meeting on Monday, June 10, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Iran’s acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani insisted that the two countries sign this agreement as soon as possible.

Work on a new major agreement between Moscow and Tehran was announced in September 2022 during a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and late President Ebrahim Raisi.

In January, Russia's Foreign Ministry had said a new interstate treaty reflecting the "unprecedented upswing" in Russia-Iran ties was in the final stages of being agreed, and Putin and Raisi were expected to sign it soon., the report added.

EF/