April 10, The Iran Project - The chairman of Russia's State Duma Vaiceslav Volodin visited Tehran on Tuesday (April 9) to hold talks with senior Iranian officials on issues of mutual interests.

While in Tehran, he held separate meetings with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his counterpart Ali Larijani.

An agreement on parliamentary cooperation was signed between Iran and Russia by Larijani and Volodin in the Meeting on Trade between Iran and Russia which was attended by some members of Russian Chamber of Commerce and Masoud Khansari, the Chairman of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce.

The Iranian and Russian parliamentary officials then attended a press conference, highlighting the need for expansion of economic relations as well as cooperation on establishing sustainable security across the region.

Talking to Viaceslav, President Rouhani lauded the current high-level cooperation with Russia and called for the elevation of ties to the strategic levels. Describing Iran and Russia cooperation in Syria as fruitful, he said that the two countries would continue cooperation till full-scale security in the war-torn region.

During the meeting, the Russian official stated that his country's parliament supports the two countries' president agreements and decisions.

He said that Russia and Iran are facing similar challenge, adding that Moscow is committed to increase cooperation with Iran.

Addressing the Meeting on Trade between Iran and Russia, Khansari said relations between Iran and Russia have been in tides and ebbs in the last decades but the officials of the two countries are determined to boost ties and increase interactions based on their firm and trustworthy principles.

In meantime, on Sunday (April 8), Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a meeting with researchers and professors of Russia Valdai Discussion Club discussed regional and international issues.

Zarif presented his views on the current conditions of international system, procedures, players and the future landscape.

Also on the same day in a meeting with Andrey Bystritskiy, head of the Russian delegation, member of the Expediency Council (EC) Ali Akbar Velayati underlined the country's commitment to broaden cooperation with Russia, noting that the two countries have developed their relations in various fields and the Iranian and Russian high-ranking officials are seriously committed to continue this process.

Bystritskiy, for his part, said that increase of trust building and understanding between the two countries is necessary.

The Valdai Discussion Club is a Moscow-based think tank, established in 2004. It is named after Lake Valdai, which is located close to Veliky Novgorod, where the Club’s first meeting took place.