Russia’s Ambassador to Iran Levan Dzhagaryan’s interview with Rossiya Segodnya, January 26, 2015

Question: Are there plans for top-level exchanges between Russia and Iran this year? In particular, President Vladimir Putin's visit to Tehran and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's visit to Russia?

Levan Dzhagaryan: Relations between Russia and Iran today are at a level that is as high as never before. This is evident from the results of the past year, which was marked by a significant boost in bilateral contacts along all lines. There have been a lot of visits on various levels between our countries' parliaments, security councils and foreign ministries. We expect the trend to continue this year.

I would like to note that in 2014, Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani met on the sidelines of various international events.

Their latest meeting was in Astrakhan in September, within the framework of the Caspian Summit, which took place there. In addition, the Presidents regularly communicate by telephone.

Regarding the question about Vladimir Putin's visit to Tehran, the President provided an exhaustive answer to it during his December 18 news conference.

Question: What are the results of Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu's negotiations in Tehran on January 20? What agreements were reached during this visit?

Levan Dzhagaryan: The Defence Minister visited the Islamic Republic of Iran on January 19-20, 2015, and in the course of this official visit which he had negotiations with the head of the Iranian military department. They discussed the military-political situation in Central Asia and in the Middle and Near East, taking into account the threats coming from terrorist organisations which have intensified their activity recently. Special attention was given to the situation in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The parties noted the proximity of their positions on the majority of global and regional security issues, which creates favourable conditions for expanding interaction to resolve crisis situations. The Iranian side expressed interest in helping Russia strengthen coordination within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. According to Iran's military-political leadership, the countries in the region should assume full responsibility for ensuring security in the Middle and Near East, Central Asia and the Trans-Caucasus. The interference by the US and its allies in this process under the pretext of fighting terrorism in reality creates new pockets of instability.

Ways of developing military cooperation were discussed. The Iranian side expressed interest in the implementation of the Russian Defence Ministry's proposals regarding the organisation of joint exercises, Iran's participation in international contests between various branches of armed forces, strengthening security interaction in the Caspian Sea, and stepping up exchanges of delegations.

As a result of the negotiations, a military cooperation agreement was signed between the Russian Government and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The head of the Iranian military department was invited to the next international security conference in Moscow. He expressed interest in participating in this event.

Thus, the negotiations between the Russian and Iranian Defence Ministers were of a constructive nature. They helped create conditions for expanding bilateral military and military-technical cooperation.

Question: There have been media reports that Iran has reached an agreement with the United States on shipping nuclear materials to Russia. Could you comment on these reports?

Levan Dzhagaryan: I would like to note that literally the following day the Iranian side officially denied those reports, describing them as politically motivated and as pursuing the goal of spoiling the atmosphere of the negotiations on Iran's nuclear dossier. In addition, as Iranian official representatives have repeatedly stated, Tehran has no intention of transferring its nuclear reserves to third countries. We have nothing to add to this statement by the Iranian side.

Question: In November, Russia and Iran signed a number of documents expanding bilateral cooperation in the peaceful use of atomic energy and opening the possibility of building eight Russian-designed nuclear power plants in Iran. What is the progress in this area?

Levan Dzhagaryan: In November, an intergovernmental protocol and contract were signed in Moscow, which created the required legal and organisational framework for our authorised organisations to go ahead with the work to build the second stage of the Bushehr nuclear power plant. Under this protocol, we promptly completed the procedure of appointing authorised organisations. In pursuance of the contract for engineering surveys and the collection of basic data on the Bushehr-2 NPP platform, in January 2015, our specialists started working on new units at the platform.

In August, we plan to complete the engineering survey stage, which will enable us to receive basic data to go ahead with to the design work.

Russia is interested in unfolding large-scale work on the platform within the framework of the main contract under the Bushehr-2 project this coming autumn. We proceed based on the assumption that this is in the interests of both parties.

Question: If international sanctions on Iran are lifted, what priority lines of cooperation does Russia plan to develop with Tehran? Are some options already being considered, given that the "six-party" agreement on the Iranian nuclear program is reaching its final stages?

Levan Dzhagaryan: We have never stopped cooperation with Iran in the key areas of foreign economic interaction (this includes cooperation in energy, industry, transport, advanced technology and agriculture), and in the future it will be a priority for us. This is evident from the concrete agreements reached in the course of the 11th Session of the Standing Russian-Iranian Trade and Economic Cooperation Commission, which took place in Tehran on September 8-9, 2014.

In addition, on January 29-30, 2014, Economic Development Minister Alexey Ulyukayev visited Iran. The parties discussed the possibilities of expanding bilateral trade, as well as of establishing cooperation within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union. They also signed a memorandum of interaction in promoting trade and economic contacts.

I believe that the dynamics of our ties are positive and that the mood is constructive. At the same time, the unilateral US and EU sanctions directed against Iran's financial and oil and gas sectors had a very negative impact on the volume of trade turnover between Russia and Iran due to worsening mutual settlement conditions. If these restrictions are lifted we expect a return to levels comparable to or exceeding the previous indicators.

I would also like to consider another important aspect, namely the expansion of interregional cooperation. In April 2014, Astrakhan Governor Alexander Zhilkin visited Iran's Caspian provinces of Gilyan and Mazandran; in May a delegation from the Sverdlovsk Region visited Hamadan and in October, a trade and economic mission of business circles from the Omsk Region visited Tehran. There is significant potential for our bilateral interaction in this sphere.

Question: How did the export of Iranian goods to Russia change last year?

Levan Dzhagaryan: According to the Federal Customs Service, the export of Iranian goods to Russia last year fell to $319.2 million. During the same period of 2013, Iran's exports to our country were worth a total of $382 million. So, this is a 16.4 per cent drop. Nevertheless, significant growth has been observed on some positions. For example, deliveries of pharmaceutical products increased 83 per cent, of plastics and plastic products by 23.6 per cent, foodstuffs 94 per cent, vegetables 5.6 per cent and processed fruit, vegetables and nuts 5.8 per cent.

Question: What lines of export does Iran intend to develop this year?

Levan Dzhagaryan: Iran regards Russia as one of its most important trading partners, and believes that the Russian market is the most promising for its goods and services. The Iranian government devotes considerable attention to the development of its trade and economic ties with Russia. In September 2014, with a view to promoting the export of Iranian goods to Russia, a headquarters was created under the auspices of the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. As a result of interaction between the oversight bodies of Russia and Iran, impediments to the export of foodstuffs, in particular fish and sea products, were eliminated. Deliveries of dairy and meat products are expected to start in the near future. Iranian delegations have become regular participants of major Russian exhibitions.