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The talks began with a one-on-one conversation between the leaders. Then the international consultations continued in an expanded format at a working lunch.

Participating in the Russian-Iranian restricted format talks are Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Russian part of the Permanent Russian-Iranian Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation Alexander Novak, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin.

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Beginning of Russian-Iranian talks in narrow format

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, dear friends,

I am very pleased to see you in Moscow.

Yesterday, you know, I was in a neighbouring region, I flew over the territory of your country and I wanted to land and meet in Tehran, but they told me that the President had already packed up and was flying to Moscow.

Our relations are developing very well. Please convey my best wishes to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. Thanks to his support, we have gained good momentum over the past year.

Last year, trade grew by 20 percent and achieved good results: somewhere over five billion – we reached five billion.

My colleagues were just telling me: we had Days of Iran, didn't we? What was the event?

Alexander Novak: There was an exhibition from December 4 to 7 in Iran.

Vladimir Putin: An Iranian exhibition, and we ourselves were surprised at the interest it generated in the Russian participants in our cooperation. Colleagues from the Government say that it was very crowded: there were many people who wanted to visit, look at it, and talk to their colleagues.

We have large infrastructure projects. We were discussing for a long time, and now we have come to the practical construction of the North-South railway.

We, of course, traditionally work in the energy sector and in education: we have a significant number of Iranian students studying here. In general, there are pretty active efforts in almost all areas.

And of course, it is very important for us to exchange views on the situation in the region, especially the situation in Palestine.

Mr President, we are very pleased to be able to receive you in Moscow. Welcome!

President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi (retranslated):

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Thank you very much.

I am also very pleased to have this meeting with you, Mr Putin, President of the Russian Federation. I believe it will offer us a good opportunity to exchange views on the bilateral agenda. In the context of our policy to promote our relations with neighbouring countries, especially the friendly nation of the Russian Federation, we observe that our interaction is moving forward very well. Over the past several years, we have made progress. I think today’s talks will contribute to creating new favourable conditions for realising the potential opportunities in our countries.

I believe we can do more to promote our cooperation in energy, agriculture, education, and contacts between our scholars at our universities. We believe this meets the interests of our two countries and two peoples.

Humanity is suffering from unilateral measures and an unfair global system. We can clearly see this in the events unfolding in Gaza which are surely genocide and a crime against humanity.

It is lamentable that more than 6,000 children have been killed by the hands of the Zionist regime. Even sadder is the fact that all these crimes have been supported by the United States and Western countries. What is even more regrettable is that international organisations and the human rights organisations have lost their effectiveness. And this is happening before the eyes of the international community.

One of the issues that I would like to discuss with you, Mr Putin, is Palestine, as well as the challenges faced by the oppressed but strong Palestinian people. According to statistics, one child dies every ten minutes. Bombing must be stopped as soon as possible. This is not a regional issue, but a global issue, and a solution should be found promptly.

During this visit, if God wills, we will focus on the bilateral, regional, and international agenda.

I must tell you, Mr Putin, after your visit [to Saudi Arabia], I wish you godspeed, we were ready for your plane to land at Tehran Airport, and we were ready to welcome you as well.

I would like to express my gratitude to Your Excellency and the Government of the Russian Federation for your warm hospitality.

Vladimir Putin: Mr President, I will definitely take you up on your invitation. And I should note that we will keep working almost through the end of the year. We have scheduled the signing of an agreement on creating a free trade area between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union in late December. It will create additional opportunities for expanding our interaction.

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