Iran, Russia annual trade value can reach 10 bln USD

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said that the value of trade ties between Iran and Russia can reach 10 billion U.S. dollars annually, the local satellite Press TV reported on Monday. Salehi said that the current volume of Iran-Russia trade falls short of their potential, said that report. "The two countries can cooperate more in the political, economic, trade, and cultural areas, oil and gas, and construction of power plants to raise the value of bilateral trade to 10 billion U.S. dollars a year," he was quoted as saying. Iranian foreign minister made the remarks in a meeting with the new Russian ambassador to Tehran Leone Jagarian on Sunday. Iran and Russia can exchange views and cooperate in regional and international issues, he said, adding that the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant is a symbol of the cooperation between Iran and Russia. Presenting his credentials to Salehi, Russian ambassador said that the meeting between the two countries' presidents during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in the Kazakh capital Astana in June 2011 raised bilateral relations to a new level.