Shahryar Heydari, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament, made the remarks in an interview with IRNA on Tuesday.
As to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Iran, the legislator said that the trip is of great importance in the current international situation because Moscow has shown that it has common viewpoints with Tehran in the face of the United States’ excessive demands at international level.
Pointing to the fact that utilization of capacities of regional countries in standing against the US’s threats is very effective in the current world, he stated that Russia and Iran are two significant neighboring states, which are of great influence in regional developments and can play a key role in peace and stability of West and Central Asia.
Heydari also referred to the role of Russia in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), noting that Moscow has played a balanced role in comparison to certain signatories to the JCPOA, in particular when the US and the Zionist lobbies sought to misuse international capacities of the UN Security Council against the Islamic Republic, so Russians opposed such moves and supported Iranians’ stance.
Evaluating Putin’s visit to Iran as positive, he added that the political meetings can pave the ground for enhancing common stands and remove potential weaknesses in bilateral relations.
Russia is a strategic partner of Iran; thus, development of interactions would be beneficial for both sides, he said, arguing that economic and political ties should be expanded more than before.
The expansion of the Russian railway via Iran has been put on the agenda, which can turn into a turning point to pave the ground for developing rail, air and road interactions between the two countries, he mentioned.
Given the fact that Russia attaches importance to Iran’s role in the region as well as Iranians’ decisive role in standing against opponents of both nations, especially the US, it seems obvious that Moscow and Tehran pursue enhancement and improvement of bilateral relationship, Heydari noted.
The Islamic Republic of Iran sees Russia as a neighboring state, but its difference from other neighbors is that Moscow plays a significant role in international developments and can play a key role in guaranteeing security and stability, the MP added.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Moscow helped boost relations between Russia and Iran, which is a necessity for the Islamic Republic in the existing sanction situation, he argued.
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