Iran’s Minister of Industry and Mining and Trade, Mohammad Atabak arrived in Moscow on Tuesday to meet with Russian officials and attended the First Joint Committee on the Implementation of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
Atabak was welcomed at Sheremetyevo International Airport by Iran’s Russian ambassador, Kazem Jalali.
The Minister will meet with several Russian officials to discuss the expansion of bilateral economic cooperation, but the main focus of his mission is negotiations with senior EAEU officials at the Union headquarters in Moscow.
Iran and five EAEU member states (FTAs between Russia, Belarus, Almania, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan) officially came into effect earlier this year, eliminating the customs fees for 87% of the goods traded. Iran has established an observer position in the union since 2024, allowing it to participate in high-level meetings.
According to the EAEU committee, Atabak will meet with the union’s trade minister Andrei Slepnev to discuss practical measures to remove trade barriers. The talk will also address the lifting of Iranian import restrictions on certain EAEU products, expanding exchanges of halal products, addressing technological obstacles, and advances in digitalising transactions.
The development of cooperation within the framework of the north-south transport corridor is also on the agenda.
The Eurasian Economic Union, a bloc of intergovernmental economy, is currently comprised of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia. Iran, Uzbekistan and Cuba hold observer status.
MNA/IRN85946507