Iran views EAEU as key platform for regional cooperation
First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref highlights trade and transit potential in message to EAEU council
Quick Look
Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref stated that Iran views the Eurasian Economic Union as a vital platform for regional cooperation, emphasizing the importance of the free trade agreement and potential for joint energy and transport projects.
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Why It Matters
A free trade agreement between the EAEU and Iran has been in effect since May 2025.
MINSK, October 2. /TASS/. Iran considers the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) one of the most important platforms for developing regional cooperation, capable of unlocking the great potential of partner countries for their joint development, Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said in a message to participants of the meeting of the EAEU intergovernmental council.
"Iran considers the EAEU one of the most important platforms for developing regional cooperation. <…> Our responsibility is to turn [the existing] potential into trade, investment and joint development," Aref said in his address, which was read out by Iranian Ambassador to Belarus Mohsen Omidzamani.
The first vice president noted that the free trade agreement between the EAEU and Iran, which has been in effect since May 2025, has provided the republic with new development tools. Iran is ready to be an "active, reliable and long-term partner" of the EAEU in trade. According to Aref, the parties should also focus on joint projects in the energy and transport sectors. Thanks to its infrastructure and geographic location, Iran can become one of the key transit links for Eurasian trade, the Iranian first vice president emphasized.
Open Questions
- What specific energy projects are being prioritized?
- How will transit infrastructure be financed?
