Noted an Iranian Expert on Eurasia Affairs “The SCO, along with Russia and China, creates a new environment for the Iranian economy,” .

Radio Goftgoo's "Political Dialogue" had an interview with Dariush Safarnejad, a senior expert on Eurasian affairs, regarding the 13th government diplomacy in developing relations with neighboring countries.

Dariush Safarnejad pointed to the breaking of the taboo of Iran's membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and assessed it as an opportunity to open economic doors to Iran; “We should have a domestically intelligent and centralized mechanism in the field of operational implementation to be able to activate our membership in this organization. If we are going to have exports, national production and economic prosperity, we require an intelligent structure.”

He continued; “In our country, 15 institutions are in charge of exports, which unfortunately act as 15 separate islands. Unless an intelligent structure is formed, not only with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, but also in bilateral relations with other countries including Russia, we won’t be able to meet the expectations.”

In this interview with Radio Goftogoo, the senior Eurasian expert stressed the need for a purposeful and intelligent structure for foreign trade and mentioned; “There is a deputy for economic diplomacy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but this deputy alone is not enough since it lacks the necessary operational tools. For instance, Iran's membership in the SCO is the result of economic diplomacy, but if the institutions and the overall structure of the country in the economic field do not function properly, we cannot get the desired effect of our membership in this organization.”

Safarnejad stressed that improving the existing situation and turning it into a smart system doesn’t necessarily call for a new structure; “Even with current situation and structural conditions, the best can be done. The Foreign Ministry’s economic deputy should be separated from the ministry, and we have to bring together another 15 foreign trade agencies in a centralized structure to do both diplomacy and enforcement at the same time.”

“In fact, planning, guidance and leadership should be concentrated in a single institution so that we can succeed in the field of foreign trade, because just being a member of an organization does not solve any problem of our country,” he added.

“The population of the SCO's member countries is half of the world's population, which means creating an ideal consumer market that can create new environment for our country's economy," he said. “This is a double opportunity given the presence of China and Russia, and therefore our President's visit to Russia is specifically important.”

He stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran is facing many animosities from several Western superpowers; “Over the last 43 years, they have constantly tried to overthrow the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran. But on the other hand, there are Eastern countries, especially East Asian countries, which not only do not want to destroy the regime, but also sign economic and strategic agreements in the framework of common interests. Undoubtedly the common sense emphasizes on developing relation with these countries.”

By Zahra Judaki