The Rhythm Eurasia newspaper reported that the main objective of Tehran's accession to the EAEU is to strengthen its own economy, while the Islamic Republic's membership in the union will provide it with expanding its borders to the Persian Gulf region and creates new opportunities for all member states.
According to the report, EAEU-Iran trade exchanges stood at 5.37 billion dollars in 2021, which increased 73.5 percent in comparison to the trade statistics in 2020. At the same time, the EAEU's export and import to and from Iran show 2.1% and 28.8% increase respectively.
The draft memorandum of understanding between the EAEU and Iran on preferential export tariffs was signed in 2017. One of Iranian lawmakers said last month that the two sides can finalize the MoU before March 20, 2023.
The newspaper also noted that top Russian and Iranian officials have had several interactions in the current year. Presidents from Russia and Iran met and discussed on the sidelines of the Caspian Sea Summit in Turkmenistan on June 29; then, less than a month, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Tehran to hold detailed talks with the Iranian authorities.
The gestures of presidents of both countries in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan's capital city, indicate that the relationship between the two states has reached a serious strategic partnership.
Statistics show that financial transactions between Russia and Iran increased 81 percent in the previous year, and it also hiked 31 percent in the first months of the current year.
Iran's solo economic exhibition is scheduled to be held in Moscow from August 29 to September 1. Since the EAEU and Iran have preferential trade accord, the Russian market can be an ideal platform for exporting Iranian commodities and even their re-export to other member states of the union.
All these mentioned issues prove that Tehran is focused increasingly on interaction with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
Nikita Smegin, an Iranian-Russian analyst, said that the Eurasia can turn into a reliable trade partner of Iran, and that Moscow can provide Tehran with the opportunity to export its industrial products.
The Rhythm Eurasia also wrote that Armenia played the role of a lobby to help create a link between Iran and the EAEU, because the southern neighbor is of great importance in terms of economy and security for Yerevan.
Armenia-Iran trade exchanges consist around 15 percent of total trade between the EAEU and Iran. The two countries' trade volume increased 25.2 percent in 2021.
Iran can play a special role in development of Armenia and bolster its geopolitical stability, according to the report.
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