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Karine Gevorgyan: Iran is interested in the political component of the BRICS summit
EU and Gulf leaders called for a de-escalation of tensions in Gaza and Lebanon and dialogue with Iran. Expressing concern over rising tensions in the region, they called on parties to the conflict to engage in international diplomatic efforts “to end the current destructive cycle of violence,” according to a joint statement.
Meanwhile, Moscow maintains constant contact with Tehran and discusses the situation in the Middle East. The current situation requires such a dialogue, an exchange of assessments and approaches is taking place, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. A week ago, talks between the presidents of Russia and Iran took place in Turkmenistan. Masoud Pezeshkian said that his country hopes to sign an agreement on a comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia at the BRICS summit in Kazan on October 22-24. The draft agreement was approved by President Vladimir Putin in September.
President Vladimir Putin plans to hold a bilateral meeting with Fezeshkian on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan. In early October, Iran's Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said he was ready to sign a document on comprehensive strategic partnership with Moscow. According to Iran's official news agency IRNA, the signing of the agreement would be a milestone in relations between the two countries. The agreement would lay the foundation for exchanges between the two countries and open up new horizons for cooperation in various fields, such as energy, transport, industry, agriculture, science and technology, and defense cooperation.
Moscow and Tehran began editing the draft of the “historic agreement” two and a half years ago, during the rule of Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, who died in May 2024. Russia has similar comprehensive strategic partnership agreements with Mongolia, Vietnam and North Korea.
“Even if the payment system does not work immediately, we will take practical measures.”
Cooperation between Iran and Russia against unipolarity will help create a fairer world order, the creation of a financial system independent of the US dollar, a response to sanctions, and cooperation between BRICS, SCO and the EEU will strengthen their interaction, IRNA believes.
“In essence, this meeting within the BRICS framework will be devoted to financial and economic issues,” said political scientist Gevorgyan, adding: “Iran’s accession to the New Development Bank will open up new prospects in this matter.” The fact is that the process itself does not occur immediately after a decision or agreement or agreement concluded between representatives of the countries included in this format.
According to her, the same applies to the adoption of the new payment system proposed by Russia for settlements between the BRICS countries. "Even if this new payment system does not start working immediately after the summit, it is clear that ultimately there will be no way back, given the processes taking place in this regard at the macroeconomic and macrofinancial level. Therefore, some practical steps in this regard will be taken," she believes.
Iran and Russia interact within the framework of various political and economic alliances. Tehran became a full member of the SCO in July 2023, and in December of the same year, a free trade agreement (FTA) was signed between the EAEU and Iran, which currently provides preferential tariff treatment for more than 95% of Russian exports to Iran. In January 2024, Iran became a member of BRICS. Trade turnover between Russia and Iran fell by 17% last year, exceeding $4.9 billion a year ago.
From the very beginning of the creation of BRICS, its stated goal was to develop "consistent, active, pragmatic, open and transparent dialogue and cooperation." The association has repeatedly emphasized that it cannot oppose NATO, its actions do not contradict anyone, and interaction occurs in the areas of economic direction, energy, food and security (counteracting cyber threats, drug trafficking).
However, in recent years, as tensions with the West have grown, the goals and objectives of BRICS have changed. The most important thing for the alliance now is to unite like-minded people who adhere to their own sovereign path of development without externally imposed standards and to create a multipolar order.
To implement one of these tasks, Russia has put forward a proposal to create a payment system for the BRICS countries, which it plans to present at the Kazan summit. According to the authors of the plan, this will allow many countries to protect their sovereignty, freeing themselves from the dominance of the US dollar and the SWIFT system in international trade. However, experts are cautious about the prospects for introducing a new payment system in BRICS.
However, experts believe that the importance of the association should not be underestimated. "It is good that this organization exists, and by holding the summit in Kazan, Russia has the opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of its chairmanship of BRICS. On the agenda are statements about international security, a multipolar world and a fair world order, which we have already heard a lot about. It seems that there can be no talk of specific results here. The most important thing is that BRICS continues to develop, new countries are joining, the organization promotes the development of economic relations between the participants, there are common development programs."
Other topics on the agenda include discussions of the Ukrainian issue and the Middle East conflict. However, experts believe that no serious breakthroughs should be expected in this regard. "Of course, we can say that all conflicts should end through negotiations, that their continuation affects all of humanity, and that the use of nuclear weapons is not allowed. We can demand restraint from the parties regarding weapons and the humanitarian consequences of the conflict. But there are no specific plans." The expert also noted that, despite the ambitious goal of establishing a new world order, BRICS cannot compare with other interstate associations.
— Relations between India and China are far from cloudless. Yes, the West takes BRICS seriously because it takes China seriously. However, BRICS cannot be compared with other international associations. This comparison is simply wrong. It is not a military-political alliance like NATO, and even when it comes to the economy, India has its own interests, and China has its own interests. The question is, who are we friends with? Yes, such questions exist, so this is a platform for communication between countries, like a club of interests,” the speaker concluded.