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Russian and Iranian foreign ministers to discuss bilateral relations

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the sides will exchange opinions on key global and regional issues, including the crisis in Syria

Javad Zarif and Sergey Lavrov (archive) ITAR-TASS/Zurab Dzhavakhadze

Javad Zarif and Sergey Lavrov (archive)

© ITAR-TASS/Zurab Dzhavakhadze

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MOSCOW, August 17. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold bilateral talks with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in Moscow today. Slightly more a month has passed since their last meeting in Vienna, where P5+1 group (five permanent members of UN Security Council and Germany) and Tehran signed a Joint Action Plan on the Iranian nuclear program. The topic will be on top of the agenda at the meeting in the Russian capital.

The foreign ministers will discuss developing bilateral ties in the framework of the Vienna agreement. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the sides will exchange opinions on key global and regional issues, including the crisis in Syria.

Lavrov repeatedly stated that the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program signed in Vienna fully meets Russian national interests. "Our economic ties will definitely get additional impulse because restrictions will be eliminated that were introduced by Western partners trough unilateral illegal sanctions against Iran," the Russian foreign minister explained.

The foreign ministry reminded about the protocol on consultations between Russian and Iranian foreign ministries in 2015-2018 signed on April 29. The document envisages "strengthening coordination of our countries on the international arena on a broad set of issues." "Promotion of Russian-Iranian cooperation in foreign policy will facilitate strengthening peace and stability in the Caspian Sea, in Central Asia, Middle and Near East," the foreign ministry noted.

Trade turnover between Moscow and Tehran showed positive dynamics last year, increasing by more than 5% to $1.7 billion. One of priority tasks of the two countries is boosting economic cooperation, particularly large-scale projects in the energy sphere, including nuclear energy. Russia is also interested in implementing the mechanism of "oil in exchange for goods". The session of permanent Russian-Iranian commission on trade and economic cooperation that will take place in September in Moscow will also focus on cooperation prospects in all possible spheres.

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