Tehran, IRNA – The relationship between Iran and Russia has reached a high level of political maturity after a 500-year background crossing through many ups and downs. They’re now improving and expanding their ties, regardless of malign roleplaying by other international actors.
Geographical proximity of Iran and Russia has made relations between the two nations and their political leaders inevitable. That’s why one cannot identify an exact date for the start of relations between them.
However, the French traveler Jean-Baptiste Chardin’s 10-volume travel book recounts the attendance of the ambassador of the Russian Empire in the Safavid Shah’s royal court in 1521 AD that can be assumed to be the start of Iran-Russia relations, as it is the earliest known account of such events.
Taking into consideration this narrative, Iran and Russia made the first official connection exactly 500 years ago and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is going to visit Russia on the quincentennial of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
Inevitable relationship
Iran and Russia have outlived bad and good conditions in the relations and this relationship can be described today as one with 500 years of history that was “inevitable” due to geographical vicinity.
Iran-Russia relationship has its own opponents/proponents and friends/foes as with any other countries. However, the complications governing the international relation required leaders to outline relations with other nations beyond supports and criticism made by the public opinion.
Though it might be object by the public opinion, the relationship between states in any imaginable level from strategic alliance to strategic hostility or competition is defined as “finding a way to secure national interests”.
Iran-Russia interests in the current global and regional situation has three attributes, indicating the common “way” the leaders of both nations have chosen to secure the interests of their respective countries:
– Straightforward, well-defined with strict protocols (although experiencing short-lived fragilities under public opinion pressure)
– Common interests driven by common threats (rather than common opportunities. This has offered Iran-Russia relations an individual robustness and confidence because of the amount of areas where the two states share feeling of threats from third parties.
– Consolidation of relations by introducing common opportunities for the other party. This is to say that Iran-Russia relations is not composed of “common interests driven by common threats” in entirety, but there are proper spaces of common opportunities which have been overlooked in recent years and decades because the relationship is overwhelmed by the former. Reinforcing the latter dimension is an important mission for which the political will of the nations’ leader can lay the foundations.
Manageable complications
Iran-Russia relations, taking into consideration the aforementioned three elements, have their own complications which are characterized by being easily manageable. Iran and Russia have quickly approached closer to each other each time they have fallen apart.
Tehran and Moscow have experimentally learned that they cannot annoy each other or leave one another alone, since they will face even more threats from third parties otherwise.
No mutual threats
Iran and Russia right now face no threats from each other’s side, and this is perhaps the most notable attribute of Tehran-Moscow ties.
The potential threat sources against Iran and Russia are in other places rather that in Tehran and Moscow, and this is well-understood by leaders of both nations.
Strategic solidarity
Although adjacency through the Caspian Sea waters has connected Iran and Russia geographically, “strategic solidarity” derived from the aforementioned characteristics has caused their relationship to become robust.
President Raisi’s trip to Moscow is undoubtedly a historical turning point in the two countries’ relations which should be deepened by creating common interests driven by common opportunities.
Keeping away from emotions
Iran-Russia relations should be looked at through a “realistic, rational” lens, evading “emotions and controversies”. This relationship has never been so much prepared to be deepened as today.
This relationship has a sort of inevitable, mutual need in itself which should be leveraged. This mutual need doesn’t necessarily mean making an interdependent relationship or violating principles of the Islamic Republic which necessitates being independent from both the East and the West.
It rather constitutes a complementary, fully guided ties which both parties lay the building blocks of the relationship carefully but confidently.
Raisi’s historic trip to Russia
Iran-Russia relationship should create a capacity to leverage the achievements of the upcoming trip of Iran’s highest executive official to Moscow in a tangible and immediate manner.
The steps towards this objective should be taken in the same manner and with the same strategy the two countries have used so far. However, the public opinions of both countries should be assured by diversifying the steps.
A joint fight against the cruel sanctions imposed by the United States is one of the areas that can be helpful in this regard. The two countries can encourage other nations damaged by US sanctions to join them to make the strategy of neutralizing sanctions a common part in their relations, and thus reduce their vulnerability to sanctions.
A bilateral currency agreement between Iran and Russia and even expanding it to other nations who wish to join can be a big step in this path.
What is important in Iran-Russia relations today is that their calculation and evaluation of profits and losses in their mutual relations should not fall victim to historical controversies.
Source: Islamic Republic News Agency – IRNA
