TEHRAN – Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani announced on Tuesday that a quick completion the Bushehr nuclear power plant will shape the future relationship between Tehran and Moscow.

“An immediate completion of the Bushehr power plant affects the expansion of (mutual) cooperation,” he said in a meeting with the head of the Iran-Russia parliamentary friendship committee Hafez Salehov.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Larijani said that Russia has a special status in Iran’s foreign policy.
“The high-ranking Iranian officials are determined to expand ties with the great neighbor country, Russia.”
The speaker highlighted the role that parliamentary friendship groups play in strengthening relations.
“The expansion of ties between friendship groups and the representatives of the parliaments of the two countries” will serve to expand cooperation, Larijani remarked.
Pointing to the efforts of Western countries to damage Iran-Russia relations, he said, “The Westerners are not interested in the expansion of ties between Iran and Russia. However, the two countries… can accrue many benefits to their nations by cooperating in joint oil, gas, technical, industrial and economic projects.”
Salehov, for his part, stated his aim for traveling to Tehran was to help strengthen ties.
“The existence of many commonalities between the two countries and a willingness by political and parliamentary officials of Russia to improve relations highlight the necessity of regional and international cooperation between the two countries,” he explained.
He expressed satisfaction over the growing economic, political, cultural, and trade relations between the two states. “The Duma strongly supports the promotion of cooperation between the two countries.”
On the completion of the Bushehr power plant, Salehov said, “In near future, Russia will exert new efforts to expedite the completion of this project.”
Salehov submitted the formal invitation of Duma to Larijani for a visit to Moscow