Page 49 - bneMag April 2022 Russia living with sanctions

bne April 2022 Eurasia I 49
Algeria
Algeria abstained from the vote on
the Russian aggression on Ukraine in the UN General Assembly. The North African county wanted to balance its interests. It believes it won the Western camp by showing its readiness to supply the EU with extra gas through the Transmed pipeline amid the Ukraine crisis, but it also does not want to lose the Russian side. Algeria is Russia’s
ally in Africa, and Moscow is the
first provider of arms and military equipment to Algiers.
Algeria accounts for about 11% of Europe’s gas imports. Algerian LNG can also be transported via tankers. Existing liquefaction plants are only operating at 50-60% of capacity.
Sudan
Sudan abstained from the vote on Russian aggression on Ukraine in the UN General Assembly. Sudan prefered not to lose the Russians, as the two countries have signed cooperation agreements, especially on military and economic projects.
In recent years, Russia has sought a geopolitical return to Africa through Sudan, especially in the military field, and through energy projects. Two years ago, the two countries signed a seven- year military cooperation agreement. Moscow is also an arms supplier for the Sudanese security forces, which have been in confrontation with a number of liberal forces recently.
Russia has also showed support for Sudan when Khartoum was still under US sanctions for state-sponsored terrorism.
Russia agrees final points of nuclear deal with Iran
bne IntelIiNews
Iran and Russia have agreed on the final points of the Iran nuclear deal as part of last ditch efforts to get it over the finishing line, Russian news agency Tass reported on March 15.
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov met in Moscow on March 15 to discuss the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and a “new inter-state agreement” as a way to clinch the deal. For Iran, the nuclear deal
will remove the country from ongoing sanctions in exchange for sending spent nuclear fuel to Russia. Russia’s last- minute demands were that Moscow
not be cut out of the deal it had been negotiating for the past several months.
Moscow has now confirmed the US has agreed to allow the country to stay within the deal, meaning the deal can now be concluded and sanctions will be removed from Iranian oil sales.
“We received written guarantees [from the US]. They are included in the text of the agreement itself on the resumption of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear programme,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in the meeting with his Iranian counterpart.
Lavrov called accusations of the American side that Moscow is slowing down negotiations on JCPOA a lie. “In fact, the reason for the delay is that the agreement has not yet been finally approved in
some capitals, and the Russian capital of Moscow is not among them.”
“Of course, we touched on the
situation in Ukraine and around it.
We thanked our Iranian colleagues for their objective, balanced position, for understanding Russian security concerns that arose as a result of the destabilising actions of the US and its Nato allies,” the Russian foreign minister added.
Following the announcement by Russia, an unnamed US State Department spokesman said to Israeli reporter
Barak Ravid, "We would of course not sanction Russian participation in nuclear projects that are part of resuming full implementation of the JCPOA. We cannot provide assurances beyond
that to Russia"
The inter-state agreement between
Iran and Russia is likely the accession
of Iran into the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), solidifying the country’s economic interests in Iran. Iran has been in an a preferential trade agreement with Russia since 2018, which has increased bilateral trade.
The head of the Russian foreign ministry noted that the agreement between
the EEU and Iran will positively affect the dynamics of relations between the countries and trade. Lavrov also said that he accepted the invitation of the Iranian foreign minister to visit Tehran.
Sergei Lavrov added the new partnership with Iran, including the growth of trade will benefit the two nations.
“In 2021, it [trade] increased by almost 80%, exceeding $4bn,” the foreign minister noted. “Russia and Iran are waiting for even more impressive prospects,” he added.
Iran's Arak nuclear complex.
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