Iran and Russia need to work together to ease trade restrictions and facilitate bilateral investment as the current level of economic relations is not acceptable given the two countries' vast resources, says a senior lawmaker.
"The level of trade and economic relations between Iran and Russia is not proportional to the existing potential and is not satisfactory," Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, chairman of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said in a meeting with Levan Dzhagaryan, Russia's ambassador in Tehran, on Tuesday, Fars News Agency reported.
There is a will on the part of both governments to step up joint efforts aimed at strengthening ties, the parliamentarian said, adding that his commission is prepared to host regular meetings with Russian diplomats and businesses to help remove trade barriers.
Trade Balance
Falahatpisheh said the volume of Russian exports to Iran is multiple times higher than Iranian exports to that country and called for fair trade between the two sides.
On two-way cooperation in Iraq and Syria, the MP said, "Given the success achieved by Iran and Russia in the fight against terrorism in the region, the two countries can cooperate successfully in the reconstruction process in the two states and make joint investments."
Slow Process
The Russian envoy underlined the importance of trade with the Islamic Republic and the need for practical measures to facilitate them.
"There are certain obstacles in the path of economic cooperation between Iran and Russia that have slowed down the process of enhancing ties," Dzhagaryan said, adding that provincial officials should take the initiative to help improve the situation.
"Cooperation between Iranian and Russian provinces plays a significant role in cementing economic mutual relations, and to this end, officials from [Iran's] Mazandaran Province and Russia's Volgograd region are holding talks for boosting collaboration."
On the anti-terrorism campaign in war-ravaged Syria, he said, "Russia and Iran are present in the country at the request of the legitimate Syrian government and the involvement in Syria, advisory assistance and fight against terrorism will continue until the Syrian government decides otherwise."
In separate remarks published by ISNA on Wednesday, Falahatpisheh said it was agreed during the meeting with the ambassador that impediments to the implementation of two joint power plant projects be removed.
"When it comes to bilateral relations, economic issues should be given priority," he noted, adding that the Majlis is coordinating efforts with the Foreign Ministry to help facilitate international economic ties.
