The head of the Iran-Russia Parliamentary Friendship Group is hopeful that ties with Russia will improve with a view to helping promote peace and security in the Middle East.
Ramazanali Sobhanifar made the remark in an interview with ISNA on Saturday in reference to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's recent trip to Russia. Zarif and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov met in Moscow last Monday to discuss the Iranian nuclear program and the latest regional developments.
Sobhanifar said, "Russia and Iran have many common grounds. Both are powerful, independent and influential in the region and can greatly affect its politics, security, economy and culture."
The lawmaker pointed to the "long-lasting" relations between the two countries, stressing that Tehran and Moscow can cooperate to counter western pressure on the region and help restore stability.
He stressed that although the Middle East is rich and has huge natural resources, many costly conflicts have been imposed on it hindering its development.
He warned that "arrogant" countries want regional states to remain engaged in wars and spend money on the military, not on the economy.
A new chapter in Iran-Russia relations has opened, he said, noting that his experience indicates Russia is also eager to expand ties and develop mutual trust.
The lawmaker said the West is trying to create distrust between Iran and Russia, adding that "we should seek [an improvement] in bilateral relations and use our abilities to help promote security in the region" to pave the way for its development.
"The [planned] delivery of S-300 missiles to Iran, the signing of [new] contracts on power plants and the launch of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant [in 2011] can help build trust between the two countries."
Regarding western sanctions on Russia, Sobhanifar said the sanctions could encourage Russia to turn to its neighbors.
