On September 30, at the Eurasian Economic Forum 2024 in Yerevan, the EAEU–Iran Business Dialogue was held featuring representatives of authorized bodies, business associations and the business community.
The series of events included a panel discussion, during which conceptual issues of trade and economic cooperation development were discussed, as well as sectoral round tables that considered practical tasks in agriculture, industry, transportation and financial instruments for trade and investment facilitation. As part of sectoral round tables, representatives of EAEU business associations and businesses also presented their current and upcoming projects.
Keynote speakers at the event included Andrey Slepnev, Minister in charge of Trade of the Eurasian Economic Commission; Seyyed Mohammad Atabak, Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade of the Islamic Republic of Iran; Gevorg Papoyan, Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia; Dmitry Volvach, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation; Alexander Shokhin, President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs; Mahmoud Najafi, Head of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce; Danil Ibraev, President of the Kyrgyz Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs; Timur Zharkenov, Board Member — Deputy Chairman of Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs.
The participants emphasized that such a business dialogue is especially relevant in light of signing in December 2023 of a full-scale Free Trade Agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and its Member States, on the one part, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, on the other part, which provides for establishing a duty-free trade regime for 90% of the commodity nomenclature.
"We have to work with all our energy, including at this forum, to remove all existing barriers to trade. We all together need to pave a good operating road for businesses to reach each other," said Andrey Slepnev, addressing the audience.
At the same time, he expressed confidence that the EAEU and Iran are natural economic partners, and with the fulfilment of all promising opportunities for cooperation between them, the countries will enjoy guaranteed success.
"Today in this hall and at the round tables, we have tried to gather the most active businesses of Iran and our countries. I am sure that both B2B meetings and all other contacts are what is needed today," the EEC Minister in charge of Trade emphasized. At the same time, he indicated his own intention to participate in the next large-scale Eurasian exhibition to be held in Tehran in December.
"Such regular meetings of businesses, creation of trade infrastructure and trading companies, practical solution of settlement issues — all this is what we have to do to unlock the available opportunities," summarized Andrey Slepnev, estimating the available growth potential of trade turnover between Iran and the EAEU at $12 billion.
On the sidelines of EEF 2024, a B2B service was organized that allowed interested forum participants to network and establish direct business contacts with potential business partners.
In addition, representatives of the Iranian delegation participated in other sessions of the EEF 2024.