Imam Khamenei stressed that world events show the need for Iran and Russia to increase mutual cooperation on a daily basis, and added, “The numerous memorandums of understanding and contracts between the two countries, including in the oil and gas sectors, should be followed up and carried out to the end.”
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution described economic cooperation between Iran and Russia, particularly following the sanctions imposed by the West, as essential and beneficial to both countries. Touching on developments in Ukraine, he said, “War is a hostile, harsh matter and the Islamic Republic never favors seeing ordinary people afflicted by wars. However, in the issue of Ukraine, had Russia not initiated taking action, the other side would have started a war.”
The Leader of the Revolution stressed that the West is opposed to the existence of a strong, independent Russia. He also described NATO as being a dangerous entity and added, “If the way is opened for NATO, it will recognize no limits. If it hadn’t been stopped in Ukraine, it would have later started a similar war in Crimea.”
Imam Khamenei explained, “Of course, today, the US and the West have become weaker than before. And despite expending great effort and money, the influence of their policies in our region – including in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine – has significantly declined.”
In describing the issue of Syria as being very important, Imam Khamenei stated that Iran’s stance is opposition to a military attack on Syria, and he said that such an action should be prevented. Furthermore, he stressed, “Another important issue in Syria is the usurping of fertile, oil-rich regions to the east of the Euphrates by the Americans. This should be solved by expelling them from the region.”
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution condemned the interference of the Zionist regime in regional issues, and he praised the recent stance taken by the President of Russia against the Zionists.
He also emphasized, “The Islamic Republic will not tolerate policies or plans that lead to the closing of the Iran-Armenia border.”
The Leader of the Revolution referred to long-term cooperation between Iran and Russia as being greatly, deeply beneficial to both countries. Addressing Mr. Putin, he said, “Both you and our President are people who take action and follow up on it. Thus, cooperation between the two countries should reach a peak in this period.”
Expressing his agreement with the statements of the President of Russia regarding the necessity of launching a Rasht-Astara railway line, Imam Khamenei stated that this will help finish the North-South transit line and be to the advantage of both countries.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution highlighted the necessity of showing vigilance against the deception of the West and emphasized, “The Americans are both aggressive and deceitful. One of the factors leading to the collapse of the former Soviet Union was them being deceived by US policies. Of course, Russia has preserved its independence during your term.”
The Leader touched on the policy to replace [the dollar with] national currencies and use other currencies in place of the dollar, stating, “The dollar should be gradually removed from global transactions, and this is possible over time.”
Mr. Putin too spoke on the developments in Ukraine and said, “No one advocates war, and the death of ordinary people is a big tragedy. However, the actions of the West left us no other option than to respond.”
The President of Russia enumerated the causes and roots of the differences between Russia and Ukraine, in particular the provoking actions taken by the West and the US in recent years including launching a coup in Ukraine and also the policy of expanding NATO despite their previous promises to avoid any advance toward Russia. He also said, “Some European countries even said that they were opposed to the membership of Ukraine in NATO, but that they agreed to it under the pressure of the US. This is indicative of their lack of authority and independence.”
Vladimir Putin referred to the martyrdom of General Soleimani as being another example of America’s villainy.
Elsewhere in his statements, he referred to the sanctions imposed by the West against Russia and said, “These sanctions will work to the disadvantage of the West, and they will lead to problems such as an increase in the price of oil and a food crisis.”
He pointed out that the US takes advantage of the dollar as an instrument to loot other countries and impose sanctions on them. He stated that this will also be to their disadvantage as it will cause global trust in this currency to be undermined, and it will encourage other countries to use other currencies. Furthermore, he explained, “Russia and Iran are devising new methods to use their own national currencies in their relations.”
While expressing his agreement with the viewpoints of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution regarding the Caucasus, the President of Russia stated that the positions of both Iran and Russia on the issue of Syria, including opposition to any attack on northern Syria, are completely compatible with one another. He stressed, “The region to the east of the Euphrates must be under the control of Syrian military forces.”
Mr. Putin stated that cooperation between Iran and Russia is progressing in all areas, and he added, “Iran and Russia are fighting together against terrorism in Syria. In the area of the military too, we will try to increase the level of cooperation between the two countries and also increase trilateral cooperation and military maneuvers with China.”
