Mr Minister,

Friends,

We are happy to have this opportunity to compare notes on the bilateral and regional agendas on the sidelines of your working visit to Russia to take part in the work of the Valdai Discussion Club. The past year confirmed the mutual interest of the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran in enhancing contacts in all areas.

Last March, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani visited the Russian Federation. This was followed by the summits in Tehran on November 1 and in Sochi on November 22, 2017. Before long, the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation will have its next meeting in Moscow. The next meeting will undoubtedly offer good opportunities to continue to exchange views on regional issues, including the situation with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear programme, joint efforts to facilitate the settlement of the Syria conflict, and, of course, Caspian cooperation issues.

More broadly, I am ready to continue the discussion on the issues of the regional agenda, including the ones we already touched upon today as we took part in the opening of the current session of the Valdai Discussion Club dedicated to the situation in the Middle East and North Africa.

In the current situation which is extremely tense, it is crucial to preserve wide channels of communication, presenting our points of view on multifaceted processes going on in the region which cause concern and certainly require joint efforts to develop generally acceptable solutions.

Once again, welcome!