TEHRAN After forging partnerships with many neighbors, the Raisi administration is now working to strengthen these partnerships as part of a strategy meant to cement Irans ties with neighbors and other countries.From its early days, the administration of President Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raisi attached great importance to upgrading relations with neighboring countries and a host of non-Western powers.
Advancing economic diplomacy is the fulcrum of this orientation, known as the Neighborhood Policy.In order to achieve the goals of this Policy, the Raisi administration initiated multiple visits and tours.
President Raisi and his foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian visited numerous countries and used everything in their power to boost Irans relations.
A year into his administration, President Raisi succeeded in achieving many goals, especially in the field of economic diplomacy.Ali Bahadori Jahromi, spokesman for the Raisi administration, pointed to one such goal being achieved which is reversing Irans trade deficit.
For several months, the spokesman said, Iran had run a trade deficit.
But through its dynamic diplomacy, the Raisi administration succeeded in recording a trade surplus of $605 million, according to Bahadori Jahromi.
Writing on Twitter, he also reported a %19.5 rise in Irans non-oil trade for the spring.
This is largely due to the fact that the Raisi administration is tirelessly improving ties with neighboring countries.Mohammad Tala Mazloumi, an Iranian lawmaker, has hailed the Raisi administrations pursuit of economic diplomacy, saying it placed the policy of enhancing interaction with neighbors high on its agenda right from the start.In remarks to state news agency IRNA, the lawmaker referred to Irans membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as an achievement that facilitated Irans trade.This was the important achievement of Ayatollah Raisis trip to Tajikistan.
Irans membership in this organization opened up Central Asias markets to Irans exports.
Joining this organization will boost exports and increase the countrys revenues in hard currency, he said.Referring to the enhancement of Irans economic cooperation with neighbors, Mazloumi said, The 13th governments economic diplomacy to consolidate strategic partnerships with neighboring countries is one of the important measures that shows this governments serious determination to develop the economy of the country and address the peoples economic hardships.Mazloumi mentioned an increase in oil sales as another effective measure of the government, saying with the redoubled efforts of the country's diplomacy and the Ministry of Petroleum, increasing the sale of oil and gas condensate was put on the agenda, which brought favorable results for the country's economy.When he assumed office in August last year, Ayatollah Raisi made it clear that he had a new agenda for Irans foreign policy.
He outlined his foreign policy goals within what came to be known as the Neighborhood Policy, which rests on fostering mainly economic relations with neighbors and non-Western powers.The new policy orientation soon yielded results, leading to Irans membership in the SCO in the first weeks of Raisis presidency.
Since then, the President has traveled to many countries in a bid to advance his foreign policy goals.
This included visits to Russia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Oman, and Qatar, to name a few.