Mostafa Barzegar, director-general for Europe, America and the Commonwealth of Independent States at Iran’s Oil Ministry, said the commission’s opening ceremony was held Monday morning with delegations from both countries representing multiple government bodies. Specialized working groups began intensive meetings immediately afterward, he said.

Barzegar said 16 active working groups composed of experts from Iran and Russia are participating in the commission. One of the key issues under review is the progress of earlier agreements.

He said the final document of the 18th commission contained 193 clauses, about 75% of which have been implemented. The remaining clauses, he added, require further review and solutions due to various challenges. “We are seeking to determine the status of several projects that have reached an impasse,” Barzegar said.

According to Barzegar, more than 50% of the relevant topics were discussed with the Russian side on the first day, leading to preliminary understandings.

He said an additional segment of the Russian delegation is expected to arrive in Iran later Monday, with negotiations set to continue Tuesday on other issues. The goal is to finalize a document for signing by the co-chairs of the commission — Iran’s oil minister and Russia’s energy minister.

Barzegar expressed hope that the current round of talks would produce positive outcomes. He said four to five additional bilateral documents are expected to be signed on the sidelines of the meeting between agencies of the two countries.

The 19th Iran-Russia Joint Economic Commission opened Monday in Tehran and will conclude Wednesday. Expert-level meetings are scheduled for the first two days, with the final memorandum of understanding to be signed on the last day by the commission’s co-chairs.