Russia and Iran are among the "leaders" of the countries against which sanctions have been imposed: recently, after the start of the operation in Ukraine, Moscow topped the list, ahead of Tehran. But in these circumstances, the parties are determined to continue to develop cooperation. In an interview with RIA Novosti, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali told in which areas the Iranian side could replace European companies, about measures to combat the consequences of the food crisis caused by the situation in Ukraine, and also stressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected in Tehran on a return visit.
– In January, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi made his first visit to Russia and met with Vladimir Putin. Is another meeting of the Presidents of Russia and Iran being worked out at the moment? When can it take place, in particular, did the Iranian side talk about its intention to hold a summit of the leaders of the guarantor countries of the Astana Troika in Tehran in the near future?
– I am convinced that this visit was a turning point in relations, the two presidents held consultations and exchanged views on various issues in all spheres and achieved valuable results. Over the past few months, in order to implement the agreements of the Presidents, we have witnessed the visits of numerous delegations representing various spheres. The two sides have a serious will to further expand relations in all areas. We are ready to receive the President of the Russian Federation, Mr. Putin, in Tehran at the appropriate time. We are also interested in holding a summit of the heads of the "Astana format" countries in Tehran.
– After Raisi's visit to Moscow, a number of agreements between Moscow and Tehran were reported. However, their contents still do not seem to have been announced. Could you share the details? Have any agreements been reached in the energy sector, in particular on the participation of Russian companies in the development of gas and oil fields, swap supplies of Russian gas through Iran?
– The working agenda of the thirteenth government, headed by Mr. Raisi, includes a serious consideration of areas of cooperation in various fields of energy with Russian companies and the Russian government. Over the past time, the parties have held negotiations and reached good decisions in the field of production, development of oil and gas fields, refining, oil refining, petrochemistry and transfer of equipment and technologies that are strategic in the oil and gas industry. Even a comprehensive and complete map of cooperation with Russia has been drawn up, which has been handed over to officials of the Russian Federation.
In addition, we can use the potential and capabilities of Russian companies in the production, development of oil fields, manufacture of equipment and technology transfer. In addition, companies of the two countries can, by establishing a joint plant in Iran and producing equipment used in Iran, export it.
Iran and Russia have the largest oil and gas reserves in the world, the views of the two countries in the OPEC+ coalition are very close, the two countries had a common opinion on the recent agreements reached within the framework of OPEC+.
– Are Russia and Iran working on agreements in the military-technical sphere? In particular, information appeared in the media that Iran plans to purchase Russian Su-35 fighters, as well as S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems. Do you confirm this data?
– Taking into account the will of the two heads of state to expand and deepen relations, bilateral ties are developing in the right direction. Our relations cover all spheres of politics, economics, and other areas. Military and defense cooperation, which is also part of the relationship, is not limited exclusively to the purchase of appropriate equipment.
– Earlier, the Russian-Iranian forum for the development of cooperation between the two countries took place, as well as the visit and meetings of the Iranian delegation with a number of Russian official representatives. Against the background of Western anti-Russian sanctions in connection with the situation in Ukraine and the suspension of various companies of their activities in the Russian Federation, are the Russian and Iranian authorities considering expanding cooperation between the two countries in areas where Iranian manufacturers could replace European ones? Are the parties working on further simplification of the trade regime under sanctions?
– We are striving to expand our relations with all neighboring countries, especially with the Russian Federation. We have always been and are now interested in the best possible relations with Russia, which is our northern neighbor.
In addition to the forum you mentioned, another large delegation came to Moscow, whose members held talks with Russian companies. For example, one delegation of 60 people from Iranian high-tech companies from various fields came to Moscow, and the negotiations were successful.
In the field of knowledge-intensive economy, of course, a significant part of the deficit that has arisen due to sanctions from Western countries will be compensated. In other areas, we also strive to eliminate the limitations that we have encountered. However, a significant part of Iran's economic potential is currently facing Russia.
We will make efforts to ensure that trade and investment between the two countries not only does not decrease in the new conditions, but also increases significantly. For this increase, it is necessary to eliminate the existing obstacles in the infrastructure of economic relations between the two countries. We are currently working seriously with various Russian government organizations. Iran and Russia have a common understanding on this issue.
– How does the situation in Ukraine affect the food situation in Iran, given that both Russia and Ukraine export agricultural products to Iran? Are there interruptions in the import of agricultural products from these two countries? Does Iran plan to increase imports of Russian products?
– Such crises can happen at any time and anywhere in the world, therefore, many governments, including the government of Iran, always prepare in advance if possible. Of course, temporary shortages, temporary obstacles can have an impact on the price level. And countries that do not have the appropriate capacity will face problems.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has not encountered difficulties in the context of meeting its needs in the field of agricultural imports to date.
The policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in recent years has been to purchase a certain group of agricultural products from Russia, and in 2021 Iran, having imported seven million tons of grain from Russia, ranks first in the import of these products from Russia. This process will also be expanded this year. In general, Iran has the capacity to import more than 20 million tons of grain and oilseeds from Russia annually.