TEHRAN, January 3 Iran does not see the need to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), since regional organizations such as BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), which includes Iran, are in total similar to the WTO, Mehdi Safari, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy, said in an interview.
«»We are an observer country (WTO — ed.), however, with (receiving — ed.) membership in BRICS… SCO… EAEU… ECO — put this together, the WTO itself will turn out! Now we do not see the need to strive (for membership in the WTO — ed.)… (Being members — ed.) of these organizations, we automatically almost became a member of the WTO at the regional level and receive our benefits, this is a winning position for all parties,» Safari said.
The deputy head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry noted that if Iran is offered participation in the WTO, the country will welcome such a step and become a member of this organization, but emphasized that thanks to the membership of the Islamic Republic in the associations he named, “the needs at the regional and global level are practically satisfied.”
Also, according to him, “free trade with the EAEU will have a great impact on our (Iran and Russia — ed.) relations in the field of trade — both import and export — as a result of which between Iran and Russia in the BRICS… and the SCO may the basis for good cooperation in the field of finance, transit, energy, technical and knowledge-intensive projects will be formed.»
At the BRICS summit in South Africa in August 2023, the country's President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the organization's members had decided to invite Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to become full members of BRICS. Argentina later refused to participate in the unification. Full participation of new countries in this organization began on January 1, 2024. As Deputy Head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Sergei Ryabkov said following the summit in Johannesburg, a state that wants to join BRICS should not impose sanctions against the countries participating in the association.
The EAEU countries signed a full-scale free trade agreement with Iran, which should replace the temporary agreement in force since 2019, at the end of December 2023. The signing took place within the framework of a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in St. Petersburg. The signatures at the ceremony were signed by the Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) Mikhail Myasnikovich, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexey Overchuk and the Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade of Iran Abbas Aliabadi. The agreement was also signed by representatives of Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
The SCO is an international organization founded in 2001. It includes India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. Observer countries — Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia, partner countries — Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, UAE, Turkey and Sri Lanka.