ArmInfo.The interim agreement on a free trade zone between the Eurasian Economic Union and Iran has been preparing for the last few years, all parameters have been agreed, a number of tariff positions have been reduced, and we hope that the states will carry out all the procedures that need to be carried out and enter into force This was announced on February 23 at a press conference in Yerevan by Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Georgy Kalamanov.
According to him, yesterday, in the framework of the "Eurasian Week", colleagues said that the only country that borders on Iran is Armenia - and this is a really big plus. "I believe that all countries belonging to the EAEU will also closely monitor the formation of a free trade zone on the border with Iran," said Kalamanov.
Referring to sanctions against Iran, a Russian official stated that during the forum in Yerevan, the issue of working in national currencies was raised. "I believe that this is very important, because the opportunities that exist in cooperation with Iran need only be developed, because the number of existing projects is enormous. If you fear various sanctions, they multiply every day. You need to think about the development of trade, implementation of joint projects. Just think about the development of cooperation between states, at least in the trade and industrial spheres. The potential is very serious, all you need is to work out the financial mechanisms for making these deals. Why, their own point of growth, and here it is possible to organize in the future specific projects and with Iran in the bilateral format, and you can all together, in a multilateral format, "- concluded Kalamanov.
Earlier, ArmInfo reported that on May 17, this year. on the site of the Astana Economic Forum, the Interim Agreement was signed between the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union and Iran on the establishment of a free trade zone. The parties agreed to reduce import customs duties in mutual trade for a period of 3 years, and Iran also provided tariff concessions for 246 goods, for the EAEU - for 175 goods. For Iran, customs duties on goods insensitive to the EAEU will be reduced: pistachios, dates, figs, raisins, shrimps, melons and gourds, oranges, lemons, limes, confectionery, some types of juices, construction paints and varnishes, dishes, detergents, carpets, plastic products. For goods of Iran's main export interest (apples, tomatoes, cucumbers), the EAEU provides only seasonal concessions in the absence of production - from November to March. On average, as Tigran Sargsyan, chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission, noted earlier, duties on industrial goods for Iran will decrease by 7%, and for EEU countries - by 3.3%. For agricultural products, the average rate of import duties for Iran will decrease by 19%, and for the countries of the Union - by 5%. "It is very important that this agreement in the legal format be consolidated in our countries and, of course, in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The free economic zone, first of all, is an additional link connecting our economies. This not only reduces logistics costs, but also provides an opportunity to organize complementary production. That is, the logic is that manufacturers from Iran will import raw materials into this zone, receive new products and without bureaucratic complicated procedures, already enter the market of the Eurasian Union, "commented on the signing of Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan during the Astana Economic Forum. In his opinion, this process will also stimulate the creation of the international transport transit corridor "Indian Ocean - Persian Gulf - Black Sea". This will be an additional impetus for the development of cooperation with Vietnam, with which an agreement has already been signed, as well as with India and other countries with which negotiations are being actively conducted.