On Wednesday, September 11, a videoconference was held on the prospects of the participation of the city of Rasht (Iran) in the International Municipal BRICS Forum 2025 and joint initiatives of the cities of Iran and Russia. The meeting was attended by the Rasht Mayor Rahim Shoghi; Coordinator of the Organising Committee, Head of the Foreign Investment Agency Alexey Naumov; Deputy Head for Cooperation with Foreign Partners of the Forum’s Directorate Maria Osipova; and IMBRICS Forum Ambassador for the Islamic Republic of Iran Abbas Mirzai Gazi.
The key topic of discussion was the formats of Rasht’s participation in the Forum and the possibility of holding one of the IMBRICS Forum events in Iran.
The participants paid special attention to the status of Rasht as one of the five Iranian cities represented in the committee on the country’s participation in the BRICS association. It is worth noting that the city plays a strategic role in foreign economic relations: it hosts one of the two ports connecting Russia and Iran, as well as the Russian Consulate General. These factors make Rasht an important hub in the development of interstate cooperation. In the same context, the expansion of transport links between the two countries was noted, including the launch of regular flights to Astrakhan.
Mayor Rahim Shoghi expressed his willingness to personally participate in the International Municipal BRICS Forum and stressed the city’s interest in developing partnership. According to him, active cooperation with Russia and participation in BRICS international initiatives is one of the main priorities for Rasht and the entire region.
Rasht is the administrative centre of Gilan province in northern Iran, located near the Caspian Sea. The population of the city is around 680 thousand people. Historically, Rasht has been an important trade hub connecting Iran with Russia and the Caucasus, and to this day remains an important industrial and logistics centre of the country, which underlines its strategic role in international cooperation and makes Rasht one of the key platforms for the implementation of joint projects within the framework of the Forum.