MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th August, 2023) There are many ways in which BRICS would benefit from Iran's prospective membership, particularly from Iranian territory serving as a link between Russia and India as well as between China and the Global South through the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Tuesday.
"Sure enough, as discussed at today's conference, the partnership between Iran and BRICS has in fact already started in some areas. In the field of transport, the North-South transport corridor connecting India to Russia via Iran is actually part of BRICS' transport project," Amirabdollahian said at a conference on cooperation between Iran and BRICS in Tehran.
Iran's inclusion to the BRICS infrastructure will also mean a link for China to the Gulf countries and the Indian Ocean, as well as Africa and South America, the top diplomat continued.
Having Iran among their ranks "will certainly increase the importance of current and future BRICS members," Amirabdollahian said. As a country with abundant energy resources, Iran will strengthen BRICS as an economic bloc, while its "stable security," low-cost transport network, availability of qualified personnel and scientific and technological achievements will make it a reliable and efficient partner, he added.
The minister positively assessed the level of Iran's economic relations with the BRICS members and pointed out the willingness of both parties to expand bilateral economic ties. The upcoming BRICS summit in South Africa is "a valuable opportunity for the BRICS leaders and friends to exchange opinions about a better future for both BRICS and the Global South," Amirabdollahian said.
The INSTC is an international multi-mode network stretching early 4,500 miles from Russia's St. Petersburg to India's Mumbai. The corridor is an alternative to the sea route connecting Europe, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean countries via the Suez Canal. It consists of three routes, namely the Trans-Caspian route using railroads and ports, and the Western and Eastern land routes. In May, Russia and Iran signed a deal on the construction of the remaining Astara-Rasht railroad section of the INSTC.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov is visiting Tehran on Monday and Tuesday to discuss the Iran-BRICS cooperation with Amirabdollahian and other senior Iranian diplomats.
There are 23 countries that have officially expressed their interest in joining BRICS, including Iran, Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor of South Africa, the bloc's 2023 chair country, said on Monday.
