Exploit Foreign Diplomacy Potentials
In his joint press conference with the Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko, Head of Iran’s Organization of Atomic Energy Ali Akbar Salehi stated that temporal and geographical necessities call for strategic ties between Iran and Russia. The two countries, Salehi stressed, need to make strategic cooperation since it would benefit both of them.
Commentary by Dr. Mahdi Sanayi, member of the Iranian Parliament Foreign Diplomacy Committee and Head of the Center for Caucasian Studies:
Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko’s trip was a typical visit to attend the 8th Iran-Russia joint economic committee meeting. However, speaking of Iran-Russia relations in general, there are three points necessary to take into consideration.
Firstly, Iran, China and Russia are three influential states of the eastern hemisphere and their cooperation is of prime significance. Apart from that aspect of their relations that have influential ramifications, Tehran, Moscow and Beijing need to cooperate on regional affairs. Regional security is the chief topic that calls for partnership between these three powers. In fact, approaching the issue from an international security perspective, an inherent necessity seems to lie in this trilateral cooperation.
Secondly, Iran should put more thought in the exploitation of its foreign policy potentials. International diplomacy is not an ‘all or nothing’ game. It is far more complicated. End of the Cold War and Soviet Union’s dissolution have especially created opportunities for playing in different fields and with diverse power blocks.
Today’s world is not bipolar but multipolar. Iran should not limit its diplomatic, economic and industrial ties to Russia and China, but it should realize the full potential of its foreign diplomacy and play a more colorful game.
There is no contradiction between diversifying our international partners and cooperating with Russia and China. Turkey is playing at several regional and international fields and while the volume of its economic exchanges with Russia is five times as Iran, it is also considered a competitor to Russians and it has extensive ties with the European Union and other global powerhouses. The same holds true for Russia and China. These countries have improved their relations with West while having an eye on their eastern neighbors.