Senior officials from Iran and Russia have explored ways to implement the strategically important International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC).
In a meeting in Tehran on Saturday, Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber and Igor Levitin, who serves as a special aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, also reviewed bilateral cooperation on energy and transportation projects as well as trade exchanges between the two countries.
Speaking during the meeting, Mokhber said that Iran and Russia can be turned into a major hub of exporting food products in the region through the implementation of joint investment projects between the two countries.
Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber (R) and Igor Levitin, who serves as a special aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, shake hands in a meeting in Tehran, Iran, April 8, 2023.
“Fortunately, the implementation of joint projects between the two countries is being carried out in a good manner and the presidents of the two countries are seriously and continuously pursuing the projects to remove the barriers on their way and to speed them up,” Mokhber said.
Levitin, for his part, voiced Russia’s readiness to commit to joint transit projects with Iran that can activate the INSTC, adding that Moscow is also willing to sign agreements with Tehran for engaging in bilateral and multilateral cooperation on such projects.