Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said the relations between Iran and Russia play a strategic role in the maintenance of security in the region.

"The existing capacities in the two countries should be utilized for the establishment of durable security and stability in the region, and this requires continued consultations between the two countries' political and parliamentary officials," Larijani said at a meeting with Russia's Ambassador to Tehran Levan Dzhagaryan on Sunday.

He urged further expansion and improvement of Iran-Russia relations, and stated, "The Islamic Consultative Assembly (parliament) welcomes any activity which leads to the consolidation and deepening of economic, political and scientific relations, specially in parliamentary grounds."

The Russian diplomat, for his part, lauded the relations between Tehran and Moscow as "good and developing", and underscored his country's strong willingness to further expand relations and cooperation with the Islamic Republic in all grounds.

"Senior Russian officials want to expand the relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran in all the different spheres of politics, economy and trade," said the Russian envoy.

In similar remarks in August, Larijani said in a meeting with the Russian President's Envoy to the 16th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Tehran Konstantin Shuvalov that strong relations between Tehran and Moscow will reinvigorate peace and stability in the region.

Iran and Russia are two strong neighboring countries which enjoy a special position in the international arena and have constant and continued consultations on key regional and global issues.
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News ID 182662