TEHRAN, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Caretaker Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani and Igor Levitin, senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Monday reaffirmed the two countries' commitment to the implementation of the joint projects.
They met on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, and discussed bilateral relations and cooperation, according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Bagheri Kani stressed the importance attached by late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to the expansion and deepening of strategic relations between Tehran and Moscow, highlighting the Iranian government's determination to continue such a stance.
He stressed that Iran would use all its capacities to implement the joint strategic plans that align with the two countries' interests.
During the talks, Bagheri Kani underscored the necessity of accelerating the construction of a railway inside Iran, which will be part of an international transport route linking South Asia to Northern Europe, known as the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
Levitin, for his part, said his country's high-ranking officials were determined to implement the agreements reached between Raisi and Putin.
He added that he would visit Iran in the near future to follow up on the progress and completion of the bilateral projects, including the INSTC, noting that Russia aims to connect the INSTC to other corridors and pave the way for enhanced cooperation between the two countries in the transit area. ■
