TEHRAN– The 15th Iran-Russia Joint Economic Committee meeting and the second Iran-North Caucasus trade conference started on Sunday in Tehran, IRNA reported.

Officials from both sides including Minister of North Caucasus Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Chebotarev, Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian, Russia Ambassador to Tehran Levan Dzhagaryan, Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Mehdi Sanaie, and Russian Commercial Attaché in Iran Rustam Zhiganshin are attending the events along with entrepreneurs and businessmen from the two sides.

Growing economic ties

Speaking in the opening ceremony of the 15th Iran-Russia Joint Economic Committee meeting, Ardakanian emphasized the fact that the relations between Iran and Russia have been growing significantly in recent years.

“The presidents of the two countries met five times last year, and Putin has already come to Iran three times,” he added.

He noted that the increasing number of delegations exchanged between the two countries is also an indication that the two sides are determined to expand ties in all areas.

Further in his remarks, the official underlined the important role of North Caucasus in the relations between Iran and Russia, saying “with a population of 10 million, North Caucasus region has a key role in developing relations between Iran and Russia and it is a gateway for the trade between the two countries."

The official also mentioned the banking cooperation between Iran, Russia and the Caucasus region, saying that these countries can connect their banking networks and also trade in their national currencies.

Iran calls for expansion of provincial cooperation 

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ardakanian called for economic cooperation between northern provinces of Iran and southern Russian provinces, saying that the two sides should benefit from the Caspian Sea's capacity for developing trade and tourism.

Chebotarev in his turn, mentioned the North-South corridor, saying establishing the North-South transportation corridor between Iran and Russia, which also passes through Azerbaijan, is very important for the international community and will make the costs of shipping goods from the north to the south significantly lower. 

The Russia Ambassador to Tehran Levan Dzhagaryan also announced Russia and North Caucasus’s readiness for granting visas to Iranian businessmen under the existing frameworks.

Need for implementing signed agreements

Iranian ambassador to Moscow also announced that all necessary measures have been taken for facilitation of trade between the two countries.

Mehdi Sanaie mentioned some of the signed agreements between the two countries in recent years and noted that “unfortunately despite all the signed agreements, the level of trade between the two sides is not satisfactory.”

Russian Commercial Attaché in Iran Rustam Zhiganshin also criticized the performance of the two countries in the implementation of the signed agreements, saying that the two countries have the potential for at least $10 billion worth of trade, only one fifth of which has been realized.

10th Iran-Russia joint transportation working group’s meeting 

On the sidelines of the 15th joint economic committee meeting, the 10th Iran-Russia joint transportation working group meeting was also held at Espinas Palace Hotel in Tehran.
During this two-day summit, the two sides will discuss bilateral cooperation and explore issues pertain to the transportation industry.

After initial discussions and agreements, five specialized committees, including "Committee of the International North-South Corridor", "Rail Transport Committee", "Marine Transportation Committee", "Road Transportation Committee", and "Air Transportation Committee" will be formed.

During the three-day events, a third Iran-Russia provincial cooperation working group is also going to be held on the sidelines of the two events, in which Ardakanian, Chebotarev, the deputy prime minister of the Russian Republic of Dagestan and eight regional ministers are going to attend.

The events are going to wrap up on Tuesday in Isfahan.

EF/MA

CAP: Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian speaking in the 15th meeting of Iran-Russia Joint Economic Committee in Tehran on Sunday