Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met
on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China’s
Qingdao on Saturday.
Hailing the growing ties between Tehran and Moscow in the fields of energy swap,
defense industry and transportation, Rouhani said Iran welcomes investment by
Russian companies and private sector.
Voicing Iran’s support for stronger economic interaction with the Eurasian
Economic Union under a free trade agreement, the Iranian president noted that
Russia’s involvement in the North-South railroad corridor would open up perfect
opportunities for economic cooperation with the East.
He further emphasized the impact of Iran-Russia defense coordination on regional
security, adding, "The cooperation between Iran and Russia in the war against
Daesh (ISIL) and other terrorist groups in the region has been effectual, and
such cooperation will continue.”
The Iranian president also touched on the US withdrawal from the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), praising "Russia’s significant role” in
the continued implementation of the nuclear deal after the US’s "unilateral and
unlawful exit” from it.
For his part, Vladimir Putin underlined that Russia will keep working with Iran
in the economic arena, energy swap and defense programs, hailing the "good
prospect” for economic cooperation between the two sides.
Expressing Moscow’s support for Iran’s permanent membership of the Eurasian
Economic Union and of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Putin said Iran has
been well involved in the SCO issues as an observer state for years.
Denouncing the US administration’s illegal move to walk away from the JCPOA, the
Russian president reaffirmed his country’s commitment to negotiating with the
other parties to support the nuclear accord.
He also highlighted Iran-Russia interaction on regional stability, stressing
that such regional cooperation will go on, as for the settlement of the crisis
in Syria.
Iran’s president arrived in Qingdao on Friday at the invitation of his Chinese
counterpart, Xi Jinping, to attend the annual SCO summit.
Accompanied by a high-profile delegation, Rouhani is planned to meet several top
foreign officials on the sidelines of the event.
The SCO was established in Shanghai in 2001, with China, Russia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as founding members.
Source: Tasnim News