TEHRAN — Kazem Jalali, the ambassador of Iran to Russia, has spoken about President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Russia and his meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

Raisi visited Moscow on Wednesday and held talks with Putin.

Jalali said there is “no time limit” in the talks between the two presidents.

“It is not true to say that ‘two hours are allotted for this meeting’ and it could be longer and they will talk to each other depending on the opinions of the two presidents,” he said. 

Regarding the meetings and plans of the Iranian president, Ambassador Jalali said in addition to meeting Putin, Raisi will also address the Russian Duma. 

Meetings with prominent Russian economic actors, as well as a group of Iranians living in Russia, are other plans for the trip, according to the Iranian diplomat.

The Iranian ambassador also said the draft of a comprehensive 20-year cooperation agreement between Iran and Russia has been prepared by Tehran, but more time needed to hold bilateral talks on it.

“It has been agreed in general terms that we will have a long-term agreement, but it has not yet reached the details that would result in its implementation in the future. Of course, the Iranian side has done its job in this regard and we hope that the Russian side will also do its job so that we will conclude the issue in due time,” he added.

When asked about bilateral plans and agreements to circumvent sanctions, Jalali said one of the purposes of the visit was to expand economic ties between the two countries. 
“Economic relations with neighbors are a priority in the new government, and Russia is our great northern neighbor,” he said, adding, “Russia’s import volume is more than 230 billion dollars, which means that there is a large and diverse market in Iran's neighborhood and we can use it. We hope to increase our share in trade.”

He went on to say that new agreements will be reached between the two countries during the Raisi trip to Moscow.

About a next meeting on Syria, which will be attended by Iran, Russia and Turkey, Jalali also said Iran will be hosting the next meeting of the Astana process, and one of the issues that is discussed during the visit is the Astana process. 

“Regional issues, Syria and the need to hold this meeting are on the agenda of Raisi’s visit. The date of this summit also has its own mechanism that must be followed by the ministries and embassies of the three countries and we must reach an agreement,” he outlined. 

Jalali also commented on the talks between the two high-ranking officials of Iran and Russia on the 2015 nuclear deal – officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - and the ongoing nuclear deal talks in Vienna. 

“Russia’s position has been positive regarding the JCPOA and Russia has also been ‘close to us’ in this regard. Russia denounced the U.S. withdrawal, and Mr. Putin recently made an interesting statement in discussions about Ukraine and NATO that ‘Americans cannot be trusted’. Iran and Russia have always had close positions on the nuclear talks, and Russia has tried to support Iran's position,” he concluded.