Page 30 - IRANRptJul22

Iran, Russia pilot export route to India and progress discussions on FTA between EEU and Tehran
As well as the assistance provided in the field of oil, Raisi mentioned Iran’s transfer of technology and technical support to assist Venezuela’s economy, defence and agriculture. There is some concern in the US about Iran providing Venezuela with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), given their potential use by the military.
The Iranian president also spoke about the launch of direct flights from Tehran to Caracas set to start on June 18. Visa-free entry to Venezuela will be provided to Iranians that arrive on local airlines.
The news of the cooperation agreement followed news of Iran handing over an oil tanker to Venezuela. Documents on the transfer of the tanker were signed in Tehran in the presence of Raisi and Maduro. Local reports said the tanker was 250 metres by 44 metres and 21 metres in height, with an oil-carrying capacity of 800,000 barrels.
The tanker was provided as part of an agreement under which Iran is to build four tankers for Caracas.
Progress in securing a smooth export route for Russian goods heading to India via Iran as well as in negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) between Tehran and the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) has been reported by Iranian officials.
Now burdened by heavy Western sanctions in response to the Ukraine war, Russia is stepping up its efforts in looking south and east to expand trade and investment opportunities.
In line with such efforts, Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) announced that it had initiated a pilot transfer of goods from Russia to India via the International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC).
Daryoush Jamali, director of the Port of Salianka in Astrakhan on the Volga river, told IRNA on June 13 that the cargo included two 40-foot containers of wood laminate sheets sent from Saint Petersburg. It was set to reach Bandar-e-Anzali in Iran via the Caspian Sea, from where it would be transited across Iran prior to being shipped across the Indian Ocean, he said.
INSTC has been envisaged as offering a trade route for Indian goods to reach as far as Helsinki via Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia. Given ramifications of the Ukraine conflict, with Finland even looking to put up fortifications on its border with Russia, that aspect of the transit project must now be in serious doubt. Meanwhile, director of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) infrastructure department, Daniyar Imamaliev, and director general of international cooperation of the Iranian customs administration, Hossein Kahki, and trade attache at the Iranian Embassy in the Russian Federation, Iraj Zarei, discussed issues of cooperation such as the proposed EEU FTA with Iran at a meeting held on June 9 in Moscow, the EEC said.
Imanaliev said: “We see the interest of both the Iranian side and all the states of the Union in the speedy completion of the negotiation process and the signing of the protocol,” Imanaliev said, referring to EEU member states Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.
As things stand, Iran and the EEU countries work to a temporary preferential trade agreement (PTA) that covers certain goods.
Also announced were side talks held by Armenia and Iran on June 12 to boost trade relations. In particular, the two sides noted the importance of establishing cooperation in traffic management, waste recycling, landscaping and culture.
30 IRAN Country Report July 2022 www.intellinews.com