TEHRAN, September 28. /TASS/. The trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Iran has significantly increased since this January, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Wednesday.

"The economic indicators of our cooperation with Russia have skyrocketed by 80% since my visit to that country [on January 19-20], and we keep working on joint projects on the economy, trade, space and logistics," the president said, quoted by the Iranian news agency ISNA as saying.

Raisi was hopeful that Iran’s membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) would help forge trade relations with the organization’s member states. According to the Iranian president, it is a crucial factor for Iran’s economy to take part in integration processes.

On September 15-16, Uzbekistan’s Samarkand hosted an SCO summit, which was attended by Ebrahim Raisi. Iran signed a memorandum of obligations to become an SCO member. After complying with corresponding obligations, Iran will finalize the procedure for joining the SCO.