The working groups cover various sectors, including oil, gas, and petrochemicals; finance and banking; transportation and housing; agriculture; standards; communications and information technology; industry, mining, and trade; chambers of commerce; regional affairs; customs; science; electricity and renewable energy; water and environment; nuclear energy; tourism; sports and youth; free trade zones; health; labor and social welfare; and culture, art, and media.

The 18th session of the Iran-Russia Joint Economic Commission runs from Wednesday to Friday. Over the first two days, expert meetings will take place, after which the working groups will prepare multiple cooperation documents for signing. The agreements will be presented to Iran’s Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad and Russia’s Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev, who co-chair the commission.

On the final day, the ministers will sign the commission’s final document, along with sector-specific agreements, at the President Hotel.

To date, Iran and Russia have held 17 joint economic commission meetings, resulting in numerous signed agreements. According to Iran’s Oil Ministry, the first session took place in December 1996, marking the first such meeting after the Soviet Union’s 1991 dissolution. Iran’s then-economy minister Morteza Mohammadkhan and Russia’s then-foreign economic relations minister Oleg Davydov led their respective delegations in the five-day talks.

The 17th session was held in Tehran from Feb. 26-28, 2024, where the final document and 18 other cooperation agreements were signed and exchanged.