In an interview with IRNA’s foreign policy correspondent on Tuesday, Dzhagaryan mentioned his 10-year presence in Iran as diplomat and said that the Russian Federation was completely ready to work with President Ebrahim Raisi’s administration in Iran.
He expressed content over the appointment of Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji to head of Iran-Russia joint commission, saying that Mr. Owji is experienced in his job.
Dzhagaryan expressed hoped that Owji could meet his Russian counterpart in his upcoming trip in company with the president and specify the next committee meeting date and location.
The meeting of the joint commission is of high importance for both countries, the ambassador noted, as they follow many joint economic projects like railroad, Sirik thermal power plant in Iran’s Hormuzgan Province and Bushehr nuclear power plant.
The psychological warfare waged by the Western media has targeted Iran-Russia relationship ahead of Raisi’s visit to Russia, Dzhagaryan said while underlining that Tehran-Moscow relationship has nothing to do with the West, the East, the North or the South.
We prefer bilateral ties and we don’t care whether other parties are content with the expansion of Tehran-Moscow ties, the ambassador said, adding that the sanctions imposed on Iran and Russia by the West has no impact on their relations.
Asked about the talks between Iran and the P4+1 to remove sanctions against Tehran, he said that the US decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran was a wrong and illegal one that clearly violated international law, specifically the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.
The talks had a tough beginning, he elaborated, adding that he is, though, so optimistic about the future of these negotiations, as the Iranian team headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani has shown enough agility.
He rejected criticisms against Moscow’s stance with regard to Iran, noting that Russia has always been beside Iran and will continue to be.
Dzhagaryan praised Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA even for a year after the US withdrew from the deal and hoped that the European participants of the deal would play constructive roles in the talks, recalling that the European and Asian companies that engaged in Iran's economy left Iran as a result of US threats to sanction them.
That’s why Iran’s demands for verification and assurances on removing the sanctions were are natural and based on a bitter historical experience and Russia completely understands the issue, the ambassador went on to say.
Elsewhere in the interview, Dzhagaryan said that Russia was fully ready for cooperation with Iran, whether the US imposed sanctions or not, as both Iran and Russia were victims of the US sanctions.
He also mentioned the EU sanctions against Russia, saying that these sanctions were strengthening Russia domestic economy and Russian farmers were happy because agricultural production has increased.
On the situation with Ukraine, Dzhagaryan highlighted the Minsk agreement as the only way out for the escalation, criticizing the Ukrainian government for ending its commitment to the agreement.
Russian forces are in the Russian soil and have no presence in Ukraine, he underlined, adding that Kiev would exaggerate the danger of a Russian invasion to divert public opinion from internal problems.
The diplomat mentioned the US' failure in Afghanistan after two decades of occupation, saying that the Americans should answer why they failed in Afghanistan, instead of threatening Russia.
The joint military exercise between China, Russia and Iran was not their first drill and it was not against any third party, he responded while asked about the joint military drill between China, Russia and Iran.
The Russian ambassador described Iran's ascension to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the ministerial meeting of Afghanistan's neighboring countries in Tehran as important achievements by President Ebrahim Raisi's administration in his early months in office.
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