News - Middle East: Iran’s top security chief says Tehran and Moscow are strengthening their economic cooperation in line with strategic agreements through constant efforts and a firm determination.

Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), said on Tuesday it is important that Iran and Russia play a complementary role in the global energy and transit markets.

He made the remarks in a meeting with the Russian president’s aide, Igor Levitin, in Tehran.

He also highlighted the importance of accelerating the implementation of joint economic projects within the framework of the agreements reached between the two countries’ presidents.  

According to Shamkhani, the US-led unilateral sanctions hinder the expansion of relations between countries and escalate regional and global crises.

He called for the formation of joint bodies to counter the restrictive measures. The targeted countries should make use of the international potential to counter the sanctions, he said.

Levitin, for his part, pointed to the strategic impact of completing the North-South railway project, saying it is a top priority for Moscow to quickly start the operational measures related to the completion of the Rasht-Astara railway.

He said that Iran enjoys great capacities in the energy and transit sectors, and Russian firms are keen to invest in Iran’s infrastructural projects.

The Russian official also referred to the two countries’ agreements to develop trade relations using national currencies, saying the two countries’ economic and banking officials have adopted the necessary mechanisms to evade the sanctions.

Tehran and Moscow would soon witness a serious leap in trade relations, Levitin added.

Source: Press TV