The delegation included the representatives of the City Council of Tehran responsible for healthcare, transport and traffic management, international relations along with members of the Islamic City Council of Tehran.
The delegation included the representatives of the City Council of Tehran responsible for healthcare, transport and traffic management, international relations along with members of the Islamic City Council of Tehran.
A meeting of the Governor of St. Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko with the Mayor of Tehran Mohammad Baquer Ghalibaf was held in Smolny as a part of the visit. The St. Petersburg party at the meeting also featured the Vice Governor of St. Petersburg O.A. Markov, the Chairman of the Committee for External Relations E.D. Grigoriev, the Chairman of the St. Petersburg Committee for Industrial Policy and Innovations M.S. Meiksin, the Acting Chairwoman of the Committee for Tourism Development of St. Petersburg N.M. Gvichiya, and the Acting Chairwoman of the Committee for Entrepreneurship and Consumer Market Development of St. Petersburg L.M. Gromova.
Mohammad Baquer Ghalibaf expressed his condolences to Georgy Poltavchenko and the citizens of St. Petersburg in general on the tragic loss of life in the air crash of Airbus A321. “This is a terrible loss for us”, said Georgy Poltavchenko. “For 25 years our country has been fighting international terrorism and such tragedies cause deep pain. I am sure that only with joint efforts will it be possible to conquer this evil”, added the Governor. G.S. Poltavchenko mentioned the multinational and multiconfessional nature of St. Petersburg. “We have one of the biggest mosques in Europe. The city is creating conditions which will enable people to practice their own religion. We value peace and the atmosphere which has been created in St. Petersburg”, said Georgy Poltavchenko. According to the words of Georgy Poltavchenko the visit of the Tehran delegation to the banks of the Neva is opening a new page in the development of our bilateral cooperation. Among the promising areas for further cooperation the parties named shipbuilding, mechanical engineering, pharmaceutical industry, production of medical equipment, housing and utilities infrastructure, development of transport infrastructure and supply of food products along with ties of humanitarian nature – in the area of education, culture and tourism. According to the information of Georgy Poltavchenko, more tourists from Tehran have lately visited St. Petersburg. Iran – a country with vast cultural and historical traditions – is highly attractive for Russian tourists. The Mayor of Tehran in return emphasized the interest in studying St. Petersburg’s experience of constructing the underground system. According to the partners’ words, approximately 25 kilometers of underground lines are being annually constructed in Tehran and there are plans of developing this means of transport further. For this purpose the program of the delegation included visits to various objects of the St. Petersburg Metro system. As Georgy Poltavchenko told the guests, the St. Petersburg Metro, which originated 60 years ago, is in fact considered not only one of the most technologically difficult, but also one of the most beautiful metro system. Georgy Poltavchenko and Mohammad Baquer Ghalibaf reached an agreement on creating a working group which in the near future would work out specific suggestions on the facilitation of the bilateral cooperation.