MOSCOW, November 24 (Sputnik) — Moscow hopes that cooperation between Russia and Iran will help both countries overcome the consequences of Western sanctions, Deputy Director of Russian Foreign Ministry’s Second Department on Asian countries Konstantin Alekseyev said on Monday.
“I think this [cooperation] really encourages us, both sides, amid illegal western sanctions implemented against our countries. I believe that it will be easier for us to overcome them [the sanctions] thanks to such close cooperation between us,” Alekseev said during the “Russia and Iran: mutually beneficial partnership or ‘friendship against’?” conference held in the Russian capital.
Earlier in November, Russia and Iran signed several agreements on the construction of two nuclear reactor units at the Bushehr nuclear power plant, using Russian technology, with the possibility of building six more in the future. The two nations also inked a memorandum of understanding for the expansion of cooperation in the field of peaceful nuclear energy.
The West suspects Iran of developing a nuclear weapon under the guise of a peaceful program. Iran's earlier nuclear activities triggered economic sanctions against Iran by the United States, the UN Security Council and the European Union.
Sanctions against Moscow were implemented by the West based on Russia’s alleged role in the Ukrainian crisis – a claim the Kremlin has repeatedly denied. The restrictive measures targeted Russia's banking, energy and defense sectors, as well as a number of high-ranking officials.
