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Iran, Russia expand bilateral relations in recent years — Tehran’s top diplomat

According to Abbas Araghchi, economic relations are developing particularly intensively; there are also many joint projects in the energy sector, where substantial activity is underway, as well as in the field of transport

MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. Iran and Russia have greatly expanded bilateral relations in recent years, Tehran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said.

"Bilateral relations between Iran and Russia have significantly expanded in recent years. This year, our cooperation received new momentum from the signing of the Iranian-Russian Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," he pointed out at a press conference following talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

According to Araghchi, economic relations are developing particularly intensively; there are also many joint projects in the energy sector, where substantial activity is underway, as well as in the field of transport. "The North-South corridor is the most important project, along with cooperation on the Rasht-Astara railway," the top Iranian diplomat noted.

Earlier, Houshang Bazvand, CEO of Iran’s Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructures Company, said that an Iranian delegation would visit Russia within a month to finalize a contract to construct the Rasht-Astara railway.

In 2023, Russia and Iran signed an agreement as part of the International North-South Transport Corridor project to jointly build a 160-kilometer segment of the Rasht-Astara railway, intended to create a through passage to ports in the Persian Gulf. The project’s total construction cost is estimated at 1.6 billion euros. Moscow and Tehran will jointly finance the design, construction, and provision of goods and services.

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