Valdai Club

The summit of the presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran will undoubtedly adjust the process of reformatting in the Middle East region. The political effect of the summit is already evident, because it points to the growing role of regional actors in this troubled area, and the economic effect will depend on specific agreements, says Valdai Club expert Nina Mamedova. To date, the three countries have objective interest in such cooperation.

Iran is planning to increase its oil production to 4.5 million barrels per day (bpd) within five years, Ali Kardor, Managing Director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) said. How realistic are these plans?

It so happened that all the presidents in Iran’s history have served two terms, as allowed by the Constitution. The exceptions were caused by extraordinary events. President Banisadr was toppled, while Mohammad-Ali Rajai was killed in a terrorist attack. Now Hassan Rouhani won his second term.

The Russian-Iranian cooperation program, as reflected in the signed documents, has a measured, frugal character. The joint statement focuses on common positions on the most relevant issues, rather than opposing other centers of power, which reflects the interests of both countries.

The West’s wariness of Iran, the continuation of the sanctions and the possibility of their renewal, as well as the imposition of sanctions on Russia, objectively put these two countries in a situation where it is in their interests to maintain and strengthen their cooperation.

Apart from current oil prices, economic growth and investment is hampered by persisting US sanctions, because the United States has only lifted the nuclear-related sanctions. Hopes for rapid economic progress after the signing of the Vienna Agreement in July 2015 have not fully materialized.

The main foreign policy achievement of the Rouhani government was the improvement of relations with the West, which is important to Iran for economic and political reasons.

Russian-Iranian political relations and the views they share on many foreign policy issues have been much closer in the past decade than their economic ties.