Vladimir Putin held a meeting with President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian

Vladimir Putin with Masoud Pezeshkian
Photo: Kremlin.ru

President of Russia Vladimir Putin held a meeting with President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the 8th Summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, Kremlin informs.

From the Russian side, taking part in the meeting were Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office – Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Minister of Energy, Russian Co-Chair of the Permanent Russian-Iranian Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation Sergei Tsivilev, Minister of Transport Dmitry Yadrov, Director of the Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation, Russian Co-Chair of the Joint Russian-Iranian Intergovernmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugaev, Director General of State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom Alexei Likhachev, and Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller.

Meeting with President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian
Photo: Kremlin.ru

President of Russia Vladimir Putin:

Mr President,

Friends,

I am pleased to meet with you again – this time on the sidelines of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum. I believe today’s event has been highly productive. Many bilateral meetings are taking place between colleagues, which is also very useful.

As you know, you and I have just had a one-on-one discussion about the situation in the region – which, of course, cannot but cause concern, not only for us, but above all for us, as a country that works closely with Iran. We are neighbours, we have many common interests, and we seek to realise them all. We hope the situation will develop in a positive direction.

For our part, we are fulfilling all the obligations we have assumed under our joint projects. I would like to note that over the first eight months of this year, Russian-Iranian trade grew by 10.4 percent. Construction of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant continues. We are also cooperating in the humanitarian sphere; the number of Iranian students studying at our universities, for example, has reached about 10,000. In late September and early October, a series of vibrant events was held in various Russian cities as part of the Iranian Culture Festival – namely, in Moscow, Kazan and Astrakhan.

We are always glad to welcome you to Moscow and to Russia, Mr President, and we are pleased to have the opportunity to discuss current issues and exchange views on our bilateral agenda.

Thank you very much.

President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian (retranslated):

In the name of the Almighty!

Good evening, Mr President.

I would like, first and foremost, to thank you for your hospitality. Frankly, I am always pleased to be here in Moscow. Our conversations are always very useful, as you support us on political and economic issues. We are truly grateful to you for your support and assistance.

As you rightly noted, our trade and economic cooperation is growing and developing. After the United States embarked on aggressive actions in the region, it became clear to everyone that we must work to shape a multipolar world. A multipolar world is beneficial to us all, and this, naturally, gives us the opportunity to interact with you and with other countries that wish to remain independent and free.

I believe that we can work on all the problems we have in the region and that we are capable of resolving all our problems and all regional issues without the United States. There is no need to rely on American assistance in the region, especially for those countries in our region that think otherwise. Indeed, that is simply not the case.

We can help each other in the scientific, economic, cultural, humanitarian and security spheres. You noted the particular importance of holding such cultural events. We have also held similar events in Moscow and Astrakhan. Mr Lavrov recently visited Tehran and reported on the progress of our cooperation.

Our Russian colleagues asked for a festival of Russian culture to be held in Tehran, and there was also a request to open a correspondent bureau for Russian media in Tehran. I have instructed that this be expedited; the response is positive, and all matters relating to the opening of a VGTRK news office in Tehran have already been settled; it remains only to finalise this process as a matter of routine.

We are ready to host Russian cultural figures for a festival of Russian culture. We will be very glad to welcome you.

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