Recently, the EU has made substantive progress with Iran despite harsh American policy towards that country. At a foreign ministers conference on June 17 in Luxembourg, the 15 EU member states decided to hold talks on trade and political relations with Iran. In response, Iran has declared it will develop relations with the EU independently no matter what kind of reaction comes from any third party. It seems that both sides fit in easily with each other.
To Iran, deepening relations with the EU could help end its isolated situation in the international community. Iran has long been on the US black list, and more recent was named as a member of the “axis of evil” by US president George Bush. The US has been accusing Iran of destroying the Mideast peace process, seeking to develop weapons of mass destructions as well as supporting terrorism. In addition to this, the US blames Iran for wrecking the post-war Afghanistan government. Iran rejects all these charges, but there is no doubt its international image has been damaged by them to some extent. Now, by seizing the opportunity to improve relations with the EU, which has great weight in international affairs, Iran might find a way out.
Iran’s foreign earnings heavily depend on oil exports. It is thus easily influenced by oil price fluctuations in the international market, so that it badly needs Western financial aid and advanced technology for associated gas exploitation. At the same time, the strong economy, the advanced technology and the abundant capital of rich Western countries are of realistic importance for Iran’s domestic economic development.
For the EU, its need for economic development, social stability and political interest create a strong base for developing and improving relations with Iran. The latter is of strategic and geopolitical importance as it borders Iraq in the west and Afghanistan in the east, and lies between the two large world energy powerhouses---the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf. Therefore, EU countries think Iran’s position in the Mideast, Central Asia and the Caucasus as very important. They need to cooperate with Iran on many issues both regional and international. In today’s world, diplomacy is more and more influenced by economic concerns; hence, it is in the interests of the EU to improve relations with Iran, a potential investment market.
However, the EU is not seeking to develop relations with Iran without any conditions. Its stand is to connect trade and cooperation with political dialogue and involvement in the anti-terrorism fight. The foreign ministers of the EU also demanded that Iran make more efforts to control the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. At the same time, Iran will be challenged by its domestic conservative elements in developing relations with the EU. Any policy demands made by some EU members under US pressure might be used as the excuse by conservative elements in Iran to hinder the development of relations with the EU as a whole.
(Translated by Zheng Guihong for china.org.cn, July 6, 2002)
