Minister Lauds Cooperation With Russia in Tourism Field

Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ali Asghar Moonesan in a meeting with Russian Ambassador in Iran Levan Jagarian in Tehran said that his country is willing to expand cooperation with Russia. “Tehran favors further improvement of comprehensive bilateral relations with Russia,” Moonesan said.  Referring to his visit to Russia, the Iranian official said the signing of the Shared Action Program and lifting the visa requirement for tourist groups of both countries are among the most important steps taken so far. Jagarian, for his part, referred to the ongoing visit of a group of Russian tourism industry activists in Iran, and said that the group in its visit identified Iran’s tourism potentials and is scheduled to depart for Russia in the coming days.  “The Russian tourists are very eager to visit unexplored and adventurist destinations, and Iran with its historical background, natural attractions and unique potentials in ecotourism is an appropriate destination for them,” he said.

In another meeting, Iran’s Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali and Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation Anton Kobyakov, in a meeting on Tuesday, stressed the need for expansion of economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries.  As IRNA reported, Kobyakov who is the deputy chairman of St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2021)’s organizing committee, met with Jalali to discuss the presence of Iranian economic representatives in the mentioned event which is scheduled to be held during June 2-5.  In this meeting, Jalai announced that an Iranian delegation will be attending the SPIEF 2021.

He further stressed the need for holding the 16th meeting of the Iran-Russia Economic Committee and called for removing the restriction imposed on the trade between the two sides due to the coronavirus pandemic as a prerequisite for further expansion of trade ties. Kobyakov for his part welcomed the presence of the Iranian delegation at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and stressed the need to implement the two countries’ joint economic programs during the year.

He also called for the establishment of an Office of Joint Economic Projects as a mechanism for expanding economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. Kubiakov expressed hope that the removal of obstacles caused by the Covid-19 pandemic would soon pave the way for Iranian businessmen to travel to Russia.

Also on Tuesday, Jalali met Andrei Rudenko, the deputy foreign minister of Russia on CIS Affairs, to discuss current developments in the South Caucasus and Iran-Russia cooperation in this area.
On another occasion, Jalali had a meeting with Mikhail Petrakov, head of the Russian delegation to the multilateral negotiations over the legal status of the Caspian Sea. They exchanged views on the Second Caspian Sea Economic Forum and bilateral cooperation in the Caspian Sea. The two sides gave a positive assessment of bilateral cooperation on Caspian Sea affairs and emphasized on the continuation of meetings and talks on the issue. - Tehran Times, Kayhan