Iran ready for long-term partnership with Eurasian Economic Union: VP Aref

📡 Iran ready for long-term partnership with Eurasian Economic Union: VP Aref 📌 Moscow, IRNA – Iran is ready to play an active, constructive and responsible role alongside member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said in a message to the EAEU Intergovernmental Council’s meeting. Aref said Iran was prepared to become an active, reliable and long-term partner in expanding economic and regional cooperation with the bloc. His message was delivered Friday evening in Minsk by Iran’s ambassador to Belarus, Mohsen Omid-Zamani, at a meeting attended by the union’s prime ministers and senior officials. ​ Aref said growing links between political and economic security underscored the importance of multilateralism, mutual respect and equal rights among nations. He described the EAEU as an important platform for regional cooperation. ​ He condemned the US and Israeli military attacks against Iran, calling them violations of international law, the UN Charter, national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Referring to damage to civilian facilities, including a children’s school in Minab, he stressed respect for international legal principles. ​ Aref said opposing unilateralism meant defending states’ sovereignty, free trade, economic independence and nations’ right to choose their development paths and partners. ​ Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia are EAEU members, while Iran is an observer. A free trade agreement, effective May 2025, removed tariffs on 87 percent of traded goods, facilitating access to markets of more than 180 million people. 📲 ​