Iranian, Russian Presidents Meet in Sochi, Hold Wide-Ranging Discussion
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held a meeting on the sidelines of the Sochi Tripartite Summit for peace in Syria, discussing a wide range of issues, from the regional developments to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Heading high-ranking delegations, President Rouhani and Putin met in Russia’s Sochi on Thursday.
In the meeting, President Rouhani hailed the growing ties between Iran and Russia, saying, “Tehran-Moscow cooperation is moving towards strategic relations, and the two countries are cooperating in important regional issues, especially on Syria”.
He also noted, “Iran, Russia and Turkey had good achievements with regard to Syria, and the remaining steps, such as the attempt to maintain the territorial integrity of the country and the necessary political processes, must also be taken in coordination.”
Referring to the attempts made by certain parties, including the US and the Zionist regime, to support terrorist groups in Syria, the Iranian president slammed Israel as the root cause of many of the problems and insecurity in the region.
He also expressed the hope that the fourth tripartite summit in Sochi would take another step to peace and security in the region.
“Doing transactions with the national currencies of the two countries is a major step forward in developing economic relations,” the president’s official website quoted him as saying in the meeting.
The link between the commercial, transportation and banking sectors of Iran and Russia would stabilize relations between the two countries, Rouhani added, noting, “We welcome investment of Russian companies in the energy sector of Iran.”
President Rouhani also referred to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and stated, "The Islamic Republic of Iran has fulfilled its obligations under the JCPOA, and the other parties are committed to fulfil their duties.”
“If the other parties to the deal demand consolidation of the JCPOA, one-sided commitment to it will not lead us to this goal,” he emphasized.
The president also stressed Russia's important role in sustaining the JCPOA, emphasizing that Europe needed to compensate for its delays in fulfilling its obligations.
The Iranian president also thanked Putin for offering condolences on a recent terrorist attack in Iran’s Zahedan, adding, “The terrorist attack has required more solidarity in the joint fight against terrorism.”
For his part, the Russian president said, "We appreciate Iran's cooperation in the framework of its commitments, and hope that both sides will fulfil their obligations."
Referring to the Sochi Summit, the Russian president noted, "I thank Iran’s contribution to solving the problems in Syria, and I believe that the two countries' cooperation in the framework of the bilateral ties and the Astana Process has had very big achievements.”
Putin added, "Most of the agreements between the two countries are being implemented and cooperation should be strengthened, we have good cooperation in the areas of transportation and energy, industry and agriculture, as well as defense affairs, and Moscow is also seeking to deepen this cooperation with Tehran.”
