Support The Moscow Times!

Putin and Iran's Rouhani to Discuss Trade at SCO Summit

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) shows the way to his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif during a meeting in Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani while they are in Tajikistan for a security summit on Friday to discuss trade and economic ties, a Kremlin official said.

He did not say whether they would touch on an "oil-for-goods deal" which Tehran and Moscow have been discussing as a way to get round Western sanctions imposed on Russia over the Ukraine crisis and on Tehran over its nuclear program.

"Naturally, the main focus will be on strengthening trade and economic ties," Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters in Moscow at a briefing on Wednesday before the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO, summit in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe.

He said Russia and Iran were concerned about a "certain trade decline." Kremlin data showed an almost one-third decline in trade turnover to $1.6 billion last year following Western sanctions against the oil-producing Middle Eastern nation.

Russia is looking to supply grain worth up to $500 million per year to Iran in exchange for oil, Russia's state grain trader said, in a further reduction to the value of a long-negotiated barter deal between the two countries.

Energy Minister Alexander Novak told state-run Rossyia-24 television that negotiations on the "oil-for-food" deal had not started yet but did not rule out the possibility of a deal being completed in the future.

Ushakov said the two leaders would also discuss progress with Iran's nuclear program, as well as the Iraq and Syria crises.

Tehran said in June it expected to sign a deal later this year with Russia to build two new 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactors in Iran, potentially boosting its case that it is refining uranium for civilian energy.

Russia, which built the Islamic Republic's first nuclear power station in Bushehr on the Gulf coast of southwest Iran, is one of six world powers negotiating with Iran on a long-term agreement to end a decade-old dispute over Tehran's nuclear program. Iran says its program is peaceful but the West says it may be aimed at developing a nuclear arms capability.

The SCO groups China and the former Soviet republics of Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Iran has observer status.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more