SAEDNEWS: The sixth meeting of the Iran-Russia Provincial Cooperation Committee was held in Moscow and discussed mechanisms to strengthen economic and regional ties.
According to Mehr News Agency, a high-level session on regional cooperation was jointly chaired by Mehdi Dousti, Iran’s Deputy Minister for Regional Coordination and Development, and Vladimir Ilichev, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Economic Development.
Dousti highlighted Iran’s core policy of boosting economic and trade links between its border provinces and neighboring countries, particularly northern Iran and Russia. He proposed creating a permanent secretariat for the committee to ensure continuous follow-up on agreements.
He also stressed the importance of prioritizing bilateral economic and commercial cooperation, citing challenges in banking, legal frameworks, and standards as key obstacles to expanding joint activity. Dousti detailed current cooperation in transportation and agriculture, while reaffirming Iran’s commitment to long-term, sustainable partnerships with Russia.
Ilichev, hosting the meeting as the Russian lead, noted that bilateral trade rose 8.2% in the first nine months of 2025 compared with the same period last year. Welcoming the secretariat proposal, he said initiatives between provinces and regions of both countries would help advance the strategic goals set by their national leaders.
Iran’s Ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, highlighted the signing of the Comprehensive Strategic Treaty in January 2025 as a milestone in bilateral relations. He emphasized provincial cooperation as a key part of the embassy’s agenda and expressed readiness to support the implementation of all committee agreements.
Senior representatives from several northern Iranian provinces and Russian regions also presented their economic strengths, exploring practical ways to expand interregional trade.
