The signing of a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty between Russia and Iran does not pose any new significant threats to Ukraine. The primary threat lies in Moscow’s persistent efforts to establish an alliance of dictators.
This opinion was expressed in a commentary to Ukrinform by Yaroslav Chornohor, PhD in History, Director of the Russian and Belarusian Studies Programme at the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism”.
“I do not see any new threats for Ukraine (as a result of the signing of a strategic partnership treaty between Russia and Iran – ed.). The cooperation that existed before continues. Moreover, it is evident that in this agreement Crimea is not recognized (by Iran – ed.) as Russian…… The primary concern is that Russia is not being driven into a dead end; rather, it is forming an authoritarian axis by signing agreements with the DPRK, Belarus, and now Iran. Thus, we see that a certain alliance of dictators is being formed,” the expert said.
Commenting on the details of the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty between Russia and Iran, Chornohor noted that the cooperation envisaged in the military and political sector “is not as threatening as it could potentially be, as it shows that Iran is cautious in many ways.”
The expert has added Iran seeks to receive nuclear and aviation technologies from Russia, as well as to show that it is not as weak as it might seem after its withdrawal from Syria together with Russia. In turn, Moscow is demonstrating that it has a partner in the Middle East. In addition, Iran can share with it its own experience in circumventing sanctions.
“However, certain developments in this area indicate that Iran may be interested in this. Everything else was either foreseen in the previous agreement or is now a matter of fact,” Chornohor summarized.
As Ukrinform reported, Russia and Iran signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement on January 17. It was signed in Moscow by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The agreement reportedly establishes the countries’ status as “strategic partners” and defines “the legal framework for further development of cooperation in the long term.”
According to Iranian and Russian officials, the agreement covers all spheres, including defense, energy, finance, and science.
In late December, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Russian media outlets that Russia and Iran plan to formalize relations by signing a new strategic partnership agreement.
The Russian Foreign Ministry claims that the agreement had been in the works for months and was at the “finalization stage” in early 2022.
The new bilateral treaty is to replace the 20-year strategic agreement signed by the countries in 2001 and extended in 2020.
Photo: ArmyInform
Source: Russia-Iran treaty on strategic partnership poses no new threats to Ukraine – expert
