TEHRAN -

In his seventh televised address to the Iranian people, President Ibrahim Raisi announced an 80% increase in his country's trade relations with Russia, and said, "We are working with Russia on various levels, as the North-South Corridor is being pursued, and we are working to activate the joint oil and energy fields with Russia." In addition to bilateral cooperation in the fields of space, trade and economy.

Raisi's statements come more than a year after taking office, and his constant assertion not to link the national economy to the nuclear agreement and to nullify the effect of Western sanctions, by strengthening trade relations with neighboring countries and the policy of heading east, which was represented in the signing of long-term agreements with China and Russia.

Although the banking systems between Tehran and Moscow were recently linked, and the two sides inaugurated dealings in the Iranian riyal against the Russian ruble in their exchanges, the volume of foreign trade between them did not rise to the desired level, according to Iranian observers, while others believe that the economic understandings between them have not been fully implemented, And it will bear fruit in the coming years.

trade balance

In the latest report on the reality of foreign trade, the Iranian Customs Authority announced that the country's non-oil trade with the world amounted to 50 billion and 282 million dollars during the first half of the current Iranian year (started on March 21 last), registering an increase of more than 13%. Compared with the same period last year.

In details, Iran's exports of non-oil goods amounted to 51 million and 783 thousand tons, with a value of 24 billion and 251 million dollars, during the past six months, recording a decrease of more than 12% in weight, and an increase of more than 13% in value.

Tehran's imports during the past six months amounted to 16 million and 320 thousand tons, with a value of 26 billion and 31 million dollars, recording a decline of about 15% in volume and 13% in value.

Iranian customs statistics reveal that the country's trade balance tends to imports and takes a negative trend during the first half of the current Iranian year.

The United Arab Emirates topped the countries exporting to Iran with a value of 7 billion and 206 million dollars, followed by China with a value of 6 billion and 846 million dollars, and then Turkey with exports of goods worth two billion and 680 million dollars.

India - with a value of one billion and 380 million dollars - ranked fourth, ahead of Russia, which ranked fifth among the countries exporting to Iran, with a value of 876 million dollars.

China tops the countries receiving Iranian goods with a value of 7 billion and 842 million dollars, followed by Iraq with a value of 3 billion and 382 million dollars, then the United Arab Emirates with a value of 3 billion and 112 million dollars, then Turkey with importing Iranian goods worth two billion and 626 million dollars, and finally India with a value of 904 million dollars. .

unbalanced relationships

Although Russia is ranked fifth in the list of countries exporting to Iran, Tehran has lost the opportunity to export goods to Moscow, as its name was not mentioned among the first five countries most exporting to the Russian market, according to economic researcher Gholam Reza Moghadam.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Moghadam explained that the signing of many understandings and agreements with Iran's eastern allies - such as China and Russia - did not reflect positively on the national economy and the citizen's livelihood, stressing that the Iranian authorities had not announced the details of their trade with Russia for months, which means that the balance of bilateral trade is not It leaned in favor of Tehran, and that the bilateral relations between them did not reach the desired level.

Commenting on President Raisi's announcement of an increase in his country's trade with Russia, Moghadam said that what was announced was the total foreign trade with Russia, without touching on the time period and the volume of Iran's exports to Russia and its imports from it, which means that the volume of Moscow's exports to Tehran Much more than you import from them.

Saifullah says that the implementation of the recent understandings between Tehran and Moscow may take years (Al-Jazeera)

Promising future

On the other hand, the editor-in-chief of economic affairs at the Iranian Mehr Agency, Mohammad Hossein Seifollah, described the steps taken by Raisi's government to advance trade relations with Russia as "young and will not bear fruit in the short term."

Saif Allah explained - to Al Jazeera Net - that the current commercial and economic reality in Tehran's relations with Moscow is the result of previous policies, and that the implementation of recent understandings may take years, adding that Western sanctions imposed on the two countries constitute a great incentive for cooperation to nullify their effect.

He added that his country has so far been able to ease the impact of Western sanctions, but the time to talk about bypassing them is still early, stressing that there is no significant impact in the short term for Iran's accession to the Shanghai Organization on the national economy.

He concluded that with the continuation of the Russian crisis with the West, Moscow will play a positive role in nullifying the effect of Western sanctions imposed on both Iran and Russia, adding that joint projects between Tehran and Moscow - especially in the field of energy - will take a long time to reflect positively on the Iranian economy. .