Khalimat Budanova spoke Monday at the opening ceremony of the 19th Iran-Russia Joint Economic Commission, thanking Iran for hosting. She said the Russian delegation this year includes representatives from government bodies and various companies.

Economic and trade relations between Iran and Russia are on a growing trend, Budanova said, noting that trade volume has climbed to $4.7 billion.

She said the signing of a free trade memorandum between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union has played a key role in expanding commercial cooperation, enabling the exchange of more than 2,000 categories of goods, services and products, underscoring the significant capacity for collaboration.

Sixteen Expert Working Groups Active

Budanova said that, as noted by the Iranian secretary of the joint commission, 16 expert working groups are participating in the meeting. She added that extensive coordination and actions by specialists from both countries are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.

“We expect to reach concrete results at the expert level,” she said. “Items requiring mutual understanding should be agreed upon, and the final text will be drafted after consolidation and submitted to the secretariat.”

Budanova said the second part of the Russian delegation will depart for Tehran later Monday. Broader issues will be reviewed Tuesday, she said, expressing hope that a final agreement will be reached so the concluding document can be prepared for signing by the commission’s co-chairs — Iran’s Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad and Russia’s Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev.

She concluded by thanking the Iranian side and expressing hope that the meeting’s objectives will be achieved and strategic cooperation strengthened.