TEHRAN — According to the Russian state TV, President Vladimir Putin will receive his Iranian counterpart Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi in the coming week.

The visit is undoubtedly a turning point in relations between the two countries, as Russia and Iran are actively trying to expand economic relations.

A country that has always supported Iran in the face of brutal and unilateral sanctions on Iran, Russia has great potential to be Iran’s close ally in economic field.

Political relations between the two countries are at a high level, but economic and trade cooperation in areas such as advanced technologies and aerospace industries are not commensurate with the high capacities of the two countries and this needs to be enhanced. This can be discussed by the two presidents.

Plans to expand economic ties have not progressed as was expected. Given the good political relations between the two countries, this issue will be analyzed during the meeting of the two presidents.

The volume of trade between Iran and Russia is the same as Russia's trade with some small countries, while Iran has a very large capacity. Through careful planning, this index can be increased considerably.

Iran and Russia are neighbors through the Caspian Sea, but what has made Iran-Russia relations very strong is the solidarity that Tehran and Moscow enjoy. The coherence of relations between the two countries, which is above all due to the common understanding of common threats, must be deepened by investing on common interests and common opportunities. The scope of relations can be assessed positively, but the two sides need to deepen ties based on common interests in various fields, especially economy and trade.

Ali Bahadori Jahromi, the Iranian government spokesman, recently commented on the president's planned visit to Russia, saying that bilateral issues and trade and economic cooperation between Tehran and Moscow will be discussed during the visit.

Russia was the first country to warmly welcome the election of Raisi as president of Iran and the inauguration of a new government in Iran. Russian officials have predicted stronger Tehran-Moscow relations during the Raisi presidency. 

“The Iranian president's visit to Moscow is a very important event,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a news conference with dozens of journalists on Friday.

Political contacts between Tehran and Moscow must be resumed, according to Russia’s chief diplomat.

It is important to remember that Putin and Raisi have had several phone calls, but as Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday, the two presidents need to discuss some issues extensively.

President Raisi will be leading a high-ranking delegation, mostly consisted of economy-related ministers. It is not unexpected that various economic and industrial agreements would be signed during the trip.

Also, Russia’s full support for Iran during the Vienna talks regarding the brutal, extraterritorial sanctions has strengthened the relations between the two countries. 

In an exclusive interview with Tehran Times on January 11, Mikhail Ulyanov, the Russian ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, said, “In our national capacity, Russian national capacity, I can tell you that we are fully on the side of Iran. We don’t recognize extraterritorial sanctions. We believe that they are absolutely illegitimate and extremely counter-productive. But the reality is that we need to find a solution acceptable for everybody.”

Iran and Russia can upgrade their relations to new highs by capitalizing on their political solidarity. The steps should be taken in the same style and strategy that the parties have taken so far.