TEHRAN — The meeting of the ambassadors of the Islamic countries in Russia was held on the sidelines of the twelfth international economic meeting "Russia and the Islamic World" in Kazan, the capital of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan on Thursday.

In the meeting that ambassadors from 28 Islamic countries were present participants discussed the need to strengthen ties between Islamic countries in each other in various fields.

Addressing the meeting, the President of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov noted that relations with Islamic countries are one of the priorities of Russia's foreign policy, saying, "Tatarstan is ready to cooperate with member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in various fields such as oil, machine building, truck production, and agricultural products.”

In his speech at the meeting, Kazem Jalali, Iran’s ambassador to Russia, pointed to the growing relations between Iran and Russia, expressing hope that in the new Iranian under the presidency of Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, the relations between the two countries will become stronger.

Jalali stated that Vladimir Putin was the first world leader to send a congratulatory message to the elected president of Iran, adding, "This shows the serious will and determination of the Russian Federation to further expand relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Referring to Raisi's visit to the Republic of Tatarstan in recent years, Jalali also praised the relations between Tehran and the Republic of Tatarstan and said that the Republic of Tatarstan has a proud history.

“We are happy that it is now a platform for cooperation between Islamic countries,” the ambassador highlighted. 

On June 18, Raisi won a landslide victory in Iran’s presidential elections. After Raisi’s triumph, Maxim Suslov, the press attache of the Russian embassy in Tehran, transmitted a message from President Vladimir Putin congratulating Raisi on his win and pledging to strengthen Russia-Iran bilateral relations.

Boris Dolgov, an expert at Moscow’s Institute of Oriental Studies, predicted that Raisi will expand economic and political cooperation with Russia. 

Vladimir Sazhin, a senior fellow at the Institute of Oriental Studies, noted that “Russia will undoubtedly be included in the list of Iran’s priority partners,” but acknowledged that Russia and Iran will maintain a situational partnership.

In April 2017, Raisi held a meeting with Tatarstan’s President Rustam Minnikhanov, who is a key surrogate for Putin’s foreign policy in the Islamic world, and praised Iran’s commitment to strengthening its relationships with Russia and Tatarstan.
 

SA/PA