By Abbas Maleki
After several
months of negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, the
promised day finally arrived and sanctions that had engulfed our Iran for many
years, are now lifted. This measure will undoubtedly lead to improved relations
between Iran and other countries and can greatly affect the country’s fate.
We
have gone through a hard period of time. Those who made the decision about
imposing smart sanctions on Iran were well aware of how sanctions could
paralyze, not the Iranian government, but the Iranian people, especially the
urban middle class. It was a time when a university professor could not buy a
book from foreign publishers through electronic means; a period when any ship
that approached an Iranian tanker ship would risk confiscation of its property
in the United States; a period when Iranians, who wanted to travel to an
European capital on board a plane, had to wait long hours for refueling in
another country; a period when no letter of credit (L/C) could be opened and
Iran's money was frozen in Asian countries.
Now, in the
period following the conclusion of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
(JCPOA), Iran is faced with many opportunities. Everybody casts a look at the
outlook of Iran's progress and development from their own standpoints. I, for
my turn, want to have a share in this look to the future.
1. It seems that
the first opportunity before our country is paying attention to one of the
great God-given resources in this country, which is nothing but human resources
and specialized manpower. During past years, our engineers, physicians,
businesspeople and managers were un-rightfully denied the opportunity to achieve
their deserved position in other countries, especially in West Asia region.
Removal of sanctions can start a new period for Iran's Ministry of Foreign
Affairs to pay attention and follow up on the facilitation of the activities of
specialist Iranians in other countries. India’s experience in forming a special
ministry to see into the affairs of expatriate Indians, and China’s
organization, which is responsible for connecting to the Chinese living
overseas, are available to us. Many years ago, when I was working with the
Foreign Ministry, I proposed that one person must be present in every Iranian
mission in other countries as Iran's research representative to promote the
country’s public diplomacy by taking part in conferences and seminars and
establishing contacts with elites in that country. Now, I propose that Iranian
embassies must get activated in order to create the suitable atmosphere and
resolve problems that face Iranian specialists, entrepreneurs and
knowledge-based companies. Even in Afghanistan, we lag behind India and Turkey
in terms of the number of Iranians that are working there and also from the
viewpoint of engineering services that we export to that country.
2. Iran's second
remarkable resource is its energy reserves. Oil and gas resources are one of
important elements and factors that affect national security of our country.
Following the discovery of oil in Iran, this raw material has gradually played
its role as the most important element affecting Iran's economy, politics and,
in general, national security. At global energy market, Iran is the focus of
attention and a center of international interactions from two viewpoints:
- Firstly, due
to its geopolitical position and its location within the world’s energy
ellipse, and
- Secondly, due
to Iran's vital role in maintaining global energy security.
Playing an
essential role in global energy supply will guarantee adequate revenues for the
development of the country, while at the same time, guaranteeing national
security of the country. Our country connects three major regions where global
energy reserves exist, which include the Persian Gulf, Western Siberia, and
Central Asia. From the viewpoint of energy consumption, Iran is a link between
two major hubs of energy consumption in the world, that is, India and China to
the east and Europe to the west. These two specifications have caused
international system to attach double importance to security of Iran and its
peripheral region. Iran's oil and gas industries need investment. As put by
King Hubbert, most Iranian oil reserves are now past their “oil peak” and need
the use of various methods in order to boost their production, which include
increasing the pressure inside those reservoirs. Iran also needs investment in
active sectors and new fields of activity. Oil and gas projects need billions
of dollars in investment each. Attracting such investment needs a national
resolve to organize an integrated management system, which would include
technical, legal, financial and social sectors of the country. Amending oil and
gas contracts, making efforts toward self-sufficiency in various fields of
energy, and increasing productivity of energy consumption inside the country
can be among the country’s goals following achievement of JCPOA.
3. Let’s take
advantage of the opportunity offered by the Chinese president’s visit to
Tehran. China is the biggest trade partner of Iran. This country follows a
centralized plan to boost its relations with other countries. If the Chinese
president comes to Iran at the head of a 1,000-strong delegation, it means that
the Chinese side has been planning this trip in various sectors since months
ago. Therefore, it would be expedient for the Iranian side to take decisive
steps for the attraction of Chinese capital and implementation of projects in
view of opportunities offered by JCPOA.
4. Iran's
relations with the United States and Europe make up an important part of the
Islamic Republic’s foreign relations. The past is a beacon for the future. We
are past the peak of change in our trade relations. Since five years ago, the
volume of Iran's trade with Asian countries has been higher than the
combination of Iran's trade with Europe and North America. It took about 200
years for this major shift to come about. It seems that a return to past times
is not logical. Therefore, we must take care not to allow relations with
countries like Russia, India, China and other Asian countries be removed from
our list of priorities.
About The Author:
Abbas Maleki, Associate Professor at Sharif University of Technology’s Faculty of Energy, Tehran
Source: Shargh
Daily
http://www.sharghdaily.ir/
Translated By:
Iran Review.Org
