TEHRAN – Iranian Minister of Industry, Mining, and Trade Reza Fatemi-Amin, who traveled to Russia to visit the MIMS Automobility Moscow ۲۰۲۲ exhibition, said on Tuesday evening that Russia is eager for expanding economic ties with Iran, IRNA reported.

Fatemi-Amin made the remarks on the sidelines of a meeting with representatives of Iranian companies participating in the mentioned exhibition at the place of the Iranian embassy in Moscow.

The gathering was attended by Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali, two deputy industry ministers, the head of the Iranian parliament’s Industry and Mining Committee, the economic advisor of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Russia, as well as the heads of Iran Khodro Company (IKCO) and SAIPA Group.

Speaking at the meeting, Fatemi Amin said Russian companies are interested in cooperation with Iranian counterparts, especially in the fields of automobiles, pharmaceuticals, and home appliances.

“All our efforts at the Industry Ministry are aimed to remove the existing obstacles as much as possible and we hope to repeat such successful moves that we see in Russia today in other countries as well,” he stressed.

Tehran, Moscow stress forging ties in aviation and maritime industries

Iran and Russia have made agreements on cooperation in aviation and maritime industries and are planning on taking joint measures in the future, Fatemi-Amin said at the end of the meeting.

The minister told reporters that the two countries have made agreements on aviation and shipbuilding industries, noting that big steps have been taken in the industry sector in both Iran and Russia that has to be pursued to bear fruit.

Fatemi-Amin said Iran was seriously pursuing the case to reach a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) as Russia’s imports from Europe have been blocked due to sanctions and this is a big opportunity for Iranian businesses.

“The free trade agreement with Eurasia is expected to take place soon,” he said.

The Iranian minister said that the main ties are being formed between Iranian and Russian businesses and the governments are only facilitating the relationship.

If the businesses are linked through joint investments, they can hardly be separated, he noted, adding that the cooperation being shaped between Iran and Russia wouldn’t be stopped even if the European and American sanctions on Russia are lifted.

 Iran, Russia exchange rial, ruble for 1st time

Elsewhere in the meeting, Kazem Jalali announced the exchange of rial-ruble between Iran and Russia for the first time in the history of the two countries’ trade, saying that the exchange of currencies happened through Russia’s Mir Business Bank.

The ambassador also mentioned the negotiations with Russia’s Sberbank for supporting trade exchanges between the two countries.

“The director of Sberbank visited Tehran recently and held good meetings with the industry minister and the head of Trade Promotion Organization (TPO),” he said.

Jalali further emphasized on the need for providing customs infrastructure and said: “Following the visit of the head of Iranian customs administration to Russia about two months ago, the head of Russian customs also visited Iran and good agreements were reached between the two sides; also, a tripartite memorandum was signed between Iran, Russia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, and this is a very big step in customs cooperation.”

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Photo: Iranian Industry, Mining and Trade Minister Reza Fatemi-Amin (C), Iran’s Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali (2nd R), and TPO Head Alireza Peyman-Pak (1st L)