TEHRAN – Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani headed a parliamentary delegation to Russia and Belarus in a two-day visit that ended on Friday. 

In the first leg of the tour, the delegation met with senior Russian lawmakers in the southwestern Russian city of Volgograd on Thursday. 

“Iran and Russia need to further expand their cooperation specifically in the area of railroad transportation,” Larijani stated. 

Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of the State Duma (the lower house of the Russian Parliament), for his part, noted that relations between Iran and Russia are already expanding “dynamically”. Volodin said the volume of trade ties has increased by 30 percent year-on-year. 

Volodin emphasized that Tehran and Moscow are still needed to do more to boost their bonds.

The two sides exchanged views on regional political developments as well. 

Larijani said, “Iran and Russia have had a great share in fighting terrorism, and the terrorists are today drawing their last breaths in Syria.” 
 
He went on to say that the U.S. behavior toward Russia and Iran has undergone “some changes”, noting that Tehran and Moscow should hold closer consultations to better respond to Washington’s actions.

The Iranian delegation arrived in Minsk on Friday to undertake several visits during one of which Iranian lawmaker Ramezanali Sobhanifar, who heads Iran-Belarus parliamentary friendship group, met with his counterpart Piotr Solovyov.

Deepening mutual relations in economic, political and security arenas, exchanging experience in approving legislations, ways to facilitate parliamentary relations, facilitating visa issuance, and the state of Iranian students in Belarus featured in the meeting. 

AFM/PA