Lavrov, who arrived in Tehran on Tuesday on a working visit, said after meeting with Araghchi that Russia is satisfied with the steps taken by Iran before the start of construction of the Rasht-Astara railway section, necessary for the launch of the North-South international transport corridor.

According to Lavrov, the Russian side expects construction to begin in the near future and, for this purpose, Russia will provide an export credit.

The Minister also stressed that contacts between Moscow and Tehran continue in a multilateral format, including in the context of Iran obtaining observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

“We hope that in the very near future the intergovernmental agreement between the members of the EAEU and Iran on free trade will come into force,” Lavrov said. “This, of course, will contribute to the growth of trade exchanges throughout our region and with our Iranian neighbors. Our trade shows positive dynamics: last year, the volume of trade exchanges increased by more than 13 percent,” he said.

For his part, the Iranian Foreign Minister stressed that cooperation between Russia and Iran continues to develop in the spheres of energy, railway construction, agriculture, trade, tourism and many other areas.

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