Iran, Russia sign joint declaration to counter Western sanctions

Iran and Russia have signed a joint declaration on cooperation to counter sanctions and reduce the unilateral coercive measures' negative impacts, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported on Tuesday.

The declaration was signed by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov following an annual ministerial meeting of the five Caspian Sea littoral states, namely Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan, in the Russian capital Moscow, the report said.

After signing the declaration, the two ministers held talks on the expansion of bilateral relations, reports Xinhua citing the IRNA.

During their meeting, Lavrov described the move as an "important step in increasing coordinated efforts by the global community's members to overcome illegal sanctions, which the United States and its allies use as a substitute for diplomacy."

Lavrov stressed that Moscow and Tehran were determined to promote bilateral relations.

Iran and Russia, both being sanctioned by the United States, have recently expanded bilateral political and economic relations to counter the U.S. moves.