Iranian Communications and Information Technology Minister Mahmoud Vaezi said Tuesday that Iran and Russia's Gazprom are in talks on investment in gas fields in southern Iran, semiofficial Fars news agency reported.

"Iran and Russia have made a decision to cooperate on gas and oil. Gazprom is holding talks with Iran in this regard," Vaezi said.

For the development of its energy projects, Tehran plans to hold an international tender in late March. A total of 29 foreign companies, including Russia's Gazprom and Lukoil, have been qualified to participate in the tender, according to Fars.

In December, managing director of Iran's Central Oil Fields Company, Salbali Karimi, said that he was optimistic about working with Russian companies, including Gazprom.

He emphasized that Russian companies were highly qualified from technical and technological aspects.

According to the media release, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will meet in Moscow in late March to review and discuss their bilateral politico-economic relations.

Over eleven documents will be signed between the two countries during Rouhani's visit to Russia, Vaezi said Tuesday, according to semi-official Mehr news agency.

Source: Xinhua