Relations between Russia and Iran are developing along all vectors, and work on a major new cooperation agreement which will take relations to the new level is close to completion, President Vladimir Putin has announced.
"Work on a new, major agreement between Russia and Iran is in its final stage. [This treaty] will mark the transition of relations between our countries to a strategic level," Putin said, speaking alongside his Iranian counterpart President Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the SCO Summit.
Putin indicated that a large delegation of Russian officials will make their way to Iran next week, including representatives from some 80 large Russian companies. Putin recalled that the last time a large delegation of Russian officials traveled to Iran in May, they expressed surprise at and were impressed with the level of development of Iran's high-tech sector.
"To be honest, they did not expect this. We and I personally congratulate you on this," the Russian president told his Iranian counterpart.
"Interregional ties are developing. We are actively cooperating in the international arena, and on many [points] our positions are close, or as diplomats would put it, they coincide," Putin said.
Putin also offered praise for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying that the Iranian Supreme Leader's personal commitment was responsible for many joint Russian-Iranian projects moving forward. "We are interested in his support in the future. Please convey my best wishes to him," Putin said.
The Russian president promised that he would do everything in his power to ensure that Iran becomes a full member of the SCO, and that Russia's partners in the organization have also supported this initiative. "The last formality remains...and Iran will join this serious, large and authoritative international organization," he said. "And we are very happy about this," Putin added.
For his part, President Raisi emphasized that relations between Tehran and Moscow carry "strategic importance," and added that the two countries have managed to neutralize the effect of Western sanctions.
"We are serious about the development of bilateral relations. Our relations are not ordinary, they are of a strategic nature. Cooperation can continue to develop in the political, trade and economic, as well as the space and aerospace sectors," Raisi said.
"As for the sanctions against Russia, we do not recognize and will never recognize these sanctions, and will strengthen and develop our relations with the Russian Federation in the trade and economic sphere," he said.
As far as Iran is concerned, Raisi emphasized that Tehran never left the negotiating table on the nuclear deal, and has proven to the world that the United States is incapable of negotiating. "They violate all obligations, and everyone has been convinced that the European Union is also in a passive situation, that they too are unable to carry out their obligations."
The Iranian president expressed gratitude to his Russian counterpart for supporting the Islamic Republic's bid for membership in the SCO, and emphasized that not only Tehran but the entire organization would benefit from Iran's full membership in the bloc.
Russia and Iran have doubled down on strategic cooperation in various sectors in recent years. Trade between the two countries grew by 81 percent in 2021, and increased another 30 percent over the first five months of 2022. More than 80 percent of trade between the two countries consists of agricultural goods, with Russia exporting grains and oil seeds, and importing Iran's GMO-free fruits and vegetables, as well as dried fruits and nuts, among other natural and high-quality goods.
In addition to trade, the two countries have also carefully increased political, geostrategic and military-technical cooperation in recent years, with Western sanctions forcing both to search for alternatives to Western-dominated institutions and systems. Russia and Iran are working to dedollarize trade, seek to implement a SWIFT-style system for bank transfers and are negotiating the means to ensure interoperability of one another's payment systems. They signed a $40 billion energy cooperation agreement in July, and agreed to expand cooperation in automotive manufacturing in August.
Reports abound about Russia using advanced Iranian drones in the ongoing special military operation in Ukraine amid shortcomings in its own UAV technology. However, the Kremlin has quashed these rumors, telling reporters late last month that a story in the Washington Post on the matter was a "fake news story."
15 September 2022, 05:25 GMT