Iran sees Eurasian integration as a way out of US pressures

Tabnak – As Iran has been looking for alternative ways for conducting its foreign economic interests in face of the increasing pressures by the United States, it appears more and more inclined toward deepening ties with the Eurasian states. The visit of Iran’s parliament speaker to Turkey to attend a Eurasian forum should be assessed in this context.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani is in the Turkish city of Antalya to attend the third annual meeting of parliament speakers of the Eurasian countries. Speaking upon arrival in Antalya on Monday, Larijani told reporters that the summit is a great opportunity for development of economic and parliamentary ties among the Eurasian states.

Inter-parliamentary cooperation on financial and monetary conventions and environmental issues is among the key topics that will be explored at the Eurasian inter-parliamentary meeting, he noted.

Later in the day, Larijani held talks with Vyacheslav Volodin, the Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.

During the meeting, the Iranian top lawmaker called on all countries, especially those in the Eurasia region, to join hands against the United States’ hostile approach towards other states in the world. He slammed Washington for its “aggressive and brutal” policies, and underlined the need for multilateral action to counter such kind of behavior.

On Tuesday, the Iranian parliament speaker delivered a speech to the official meeting of parliament speakers of Eurasian countries, calling on the parliaments of the Eurasian countries to join hands against unilateralism and enhance political and trade ties.

In his address, Larijani said it is necessary for the Eurasian parliaments to close ranks against unilateralism, adding, “The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the conference members should adopt wise, balanced and active policies to further strengthen the process of multilateralism and redefine and enhance the areas of political, security, economic and trade cooperation.”

On the grounds for cooperation among the Eurasian states, the Iranian speaker proposed plans to broaden parliamentary cooperation and interaction among the governments, private sectors, and regional and international organizations, ease customs regulations, facilitate the free flow of investment, coordinate monetary and financial policies, and use the currencies of the regional nations in trade.

He also denounced the US administration’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, calling on the Eurasian states to devise an appropriate framework for protecting the environment after ratification of the parliaments.

He further slammed Washington’s unilateral and illegal withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and its move to re-impose cruel sanctions against Tehran as a sign of re-emergence of the failed and worn-out policy of unilateralism in the international relations.

The conference is attended by 20 parliament speakers and parliamentary delegations from 17 Asian and European nations. The first and second editions of the conference were held in Russia and South Korea, respectively.