DUBAI, March 5. /TASS/. Cooperation between Iran and Russia in the energy sector is a response to sanctions, Seyed Musi Mousavi, member of the Energy Committee of the Majlis, said in an interview with the Shana news agency.

"Russia and Iran are strategic partners. Cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector can be mutually beneficial, this is an excellent opportunity for a tough response to all sanctions, taking into account that Iran is surrounded on all sides by countries that need oil, gasoline and other petroleum products," Mousavi noted.

Speaking about the results achieved during a meeting of the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Iran, he said that in the current conditions, "increasing oil exports, expanding cooperation with neighboring countries and reviving energy and economic diplomacy have good prospects for the Iranian economy."

The meeting of the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Iran was held in Tehran on February 28. It was chaired by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji. Novak said that the parties signed a number of documents on interaction, including a protocol on amendments to the road map of scientific and technical cooperation in the oil and gas industries, which provide for the standardization of equipment.

During the meetings, the Russian company Transneft and the Iranian Ministry of Oil signed a "memorandum of understanding on technological cooperation and implementation of joint projects," which concerns the possibilities of cooperation in the maintenance and repair of main pipelines, diagnostics of oil reservoirs and joint R&D. Owji stressed the importance of cooperation between Iran and Russia in the oil and gas field and expressed hope that "interaction between the two countries will expand."