TEHRAN – Iran and Russia have held talks on expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation to combat money laundering and terrorism financing, according to the Iranian Embassy in Moscow.

Kazem Jalali, Iran’s ambassador to Russia, met with Yury Chikhanchin, head of Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring), to discuss enhanced coordination between the two countries as well as within the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG), a regional body affiliated with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Chikhanchin thanked Iran for its initiatives and active participation in EAG meetings and expressed readiness to exchange expertise and provide technical guidance aimed at increasing Iran’s engagement with member states.

The EAG, one of nine FATF-style regional bodies, held its forty-third plenary in Minsk with 35 delegations from 18 countries and more than 15 international organizations. Chikhanchin was selected as the group’s next Delegates at the 43rd plenary meeting of the EAG approved a technical assistance package for Iran, marking a notable step in the country’s engagement with regional and international financial-crime bodies.

Iranian representatives participated in both plenary sessions and specialist workshops, taking an active role in discussions on strengthening regional cooperation and upgrading national AML/CFT frameworks.

One of the key outcomes was the endorsement of a program designed to support Iran in addressing identified gaps in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing systems. The package includes technical exchanges, joint training workshops and specialized advisory support offered by EAG member states. Officials said the decision reflects growing confidence in Iran’s efforts to enhance transparency and align with global standards.

Alongside the plenary, a dedicated conference on the use of advanced technologies in combating financial crime brought together delegations from Russia, Belarus, the UAE and Kyrgyzstan.

Iranian experts presented domestic innovations in data analysis and inter-agency cooperation, which participants described as effective and replicable examples for the region.

The summit also featured the announcement of results from EAG’s annual competition for best financial-crime analysis, with Egypt’s National Bank taking first place and entries from Russian and Tajik banks receiving distinction.

Iranian financial institutions engaged in the event’s side activities, a move the Financial Intelligence Unit plans to expand in future sessions to deepen Iran’s professional footprint in regional AML/CFT cooperation.

During the closing session, delegations acknowledged Iran’s active participation across technical and regulatory discussions, noting its contributions in supervisory, judicial and operational fields. The meeting concluded with a collective call for stronger regional coordination and continued collaboration with Iran under the EAG framework.

EF/MA

Photo: Kazem Jalali, Iran’s ambassador to Russia (R) and Yury Chikhanchin, head of Russia’s Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring)