Russian envoy:

Russia eyes national currencies settlements with Iran

TEHRAN (defapress) – Russia hopes to achieve progress in talks with Iran on using national currencies in settlements in 2018, Russia’s Ambassador to Tehran Levan Dzhagaryan said in an interview with TASS on Sunday.

News ID: 68619

Date: 12 February 2018 - 10:15

"Central banks’ working groups have met several times," the ambassador said. "As far as we can understand, intense contacts and negotiations are underway."

"We hope that within 2018 we shall achieve progress and will be able to use widely the favorable conditions we may have if we manage to approach final decisions," he added.

In March 2017, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin after talks with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said the countries would be working on favorable conditions for using national currencies in settlements.

Moscow is satisfied with the level of Russian-Iranian cooperation in the framework of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Tehran’s nuclear program, he said, adding Rosatom’s delegation, which presently is visiting the country, discusses "certain practical aspects of the project to reconfigure the Fordow reactor."

"We hope to see soon the results of these consultations," Dzhagaryan said.

According to the Russian ambassador, both Tehran and Moscow are concerned about the situation around JCPOA. "There are reasons to understand our European counterparts also worry about this, as they had applied much effort to reach the deal."

"I would like to stress once again - Iran observes fully its obligations under JCPOA," he said. "This deal is the result of long complicated international talks and it should remain as it was made in summer 2015. There can be no question of any changes (in JCPOA)".

Talking about the protests in Iran, Russia’s Ambassador to Tehran Levan Dzhagaryan told TASS that they were caused by inner reasons, though were fueled by the Western media, including BBC and Voice of America.

"The wave of protests in Iran in late 2017 - early 2018 was caused first of all by the fact the locals were not happy about the social and economic situation in the country,” the diplomat said. "The Iranian officials admitted existing problems."

"I would like to point to the provocative role of the anti-regime Iranian resources based outside the country. First of all, this is BBC’s Persian service, the Persian version of Voice of America and official Internet portals of People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, which Iran considers a terrorist organization," the Russian ambassador said. "Those media outlets heated skillfully the anti-governmental protests, calling the Iranians for violence and armed confrontation, thus influencing destructively the situation in that country."

According to the ambassador, the situation has stabilized now. "As far as we know, the country is undertaking active measures to improve the economic situation and to meet certain reasonable public requirements. For example, in a new draft budget the government’s social obligations are expanded. Generally speaking, now the situation is stable, there are only sporadic protests," he said.