Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) have launched talks over the permanent treaty on the free trade zone. This is what Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov said during a press conference held after talks with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Wednesday, TASS reports.

Lavrov recalled that Moscow positively assesses Iran’s interaction with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union. Thus, the Russian Federation has welcomed the decision of the Council of Heads of States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to launch procedures for the accession of Iran to the Organization as a full-fledged member.

The foreign minister stated that Iran can now participate in the activities of the SCO, including in the format of a contact group dealing with Afghanistan. “The importance of this format is growing, and we are interested in using the format effectively. The other sectors of activities are security, the fight against terrorism, extremism and separatism, the ensuring of economic and transport links, and all this fully meets the interests of the Russian Federation and Iran,” Lavrov concluded.