Russian Deputy Minister of Industry calls for developing relations  with Iran, despite sanctions

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.