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Mar 17 2009

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Iran Forges Axis of Cooperation

Strategically placed between the two energy hubs of the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea, and enjoying relations with 15 nations in the Middle East, Caspian basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the larger Eurasian landmass, Iran is positioned to play a pivotal role in promoting regional cooperation.

This week's landmark summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) again highlighted the increasingly important regional dimension of Tehran's foreign policy, especially in forging an axis of cooperation.

According to Asia Times, ECO's stated aim is to promote economic, technical, cultural and low-security cooperation among its member-states.

But the present global economic crisis, which is by definition also a crisis of globalization, has spurred new energy from ECO to offset the downturn's debilitating consequences.

De-Globalization
From Iran's vantage point, withstanding the crisis necessitates a certain degree of de-globalization because the present western capitalist-centric pattern of globalization has had adverse results on developing nations.

"The more a country has been linked to the world economy, and its trade linked to exchange based on the dollar, the more its economy has been damaged," Iran's President Mahmud Ahmadinejad stated in his opening remarks at the ECO Summit last week.

Ahmadinejad called for establishing proper mechanisms for an inter-ECO barter system, access to a single currency and the facilitation of trade and transportation.

Prospects
ECO's prospects have improved, with member-states promoting the idea of an ECO free trade zone by 2015, a single ECO currency and integrated trade through the ECO Trade Agreement and Transit Transport Framework Agreement.

With Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai present, the summit was also an occasion to underscore ECO's role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

A trilateral group of Farsi-speaking nations Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan was formed to promote cooperation, such as linking railways, importing Tajikistan's water and electricity into Iran via Afghanistan, and other issues.

Iran has reportedly accepted an invitation from Italy to participate in the Group of Eight summit on Afghanistan, to be held in Trieste in June. This conference will discuss the 'spillover' of conflict in Afghanistan and ways to secure the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have already launched a trilateral initiative in this regard with Iran.

In fact, last week's ECO Summit was an important step toward narrowing the regional outlooks of Iran and Pakistan by providing a timely forum for an exchange of ideas between leaders.

After taking over the rotating presidency of ECO, Iran is expected to strengthen this axis of cooperation among regional states.

Barring unforeseen developments, closer cooperation between Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan is imminent. This is highly beneficial for resolving regional problems, particularly if Iran and the United States can patch up differences and reach a reasonable understanding on Afghanistan.

Increased Assistance
Experts say Iran should help train the Afghan army and national police. Tehran should also implement some of the recent bilateral agreements, such as a railway link from Khwaf to Herat city.

At the same time, Iran must show greater flexibility in coordinating its Afghanistan's policy with international organizations and the European Union.

As the main victim of Afghanistan's burgeoning drug trade, Iran should also bolster Kabul's capacity to thwart smugglers.

In light of growing reports that smugglers are opening new routes on the Arabian Peninsula, the problem also afflicts the Arab and Muslim worlds. This is one reason why Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) states have been invited by Italy to take part in the G-8 Summit on Afghanistan.

The decision by Iraq's President Jalal Talabani to attend the ECO Summit was an important signal. With the Persian Gulf's doors shut rather indefinitely, the post-Baathist order is now poised to forge a new identity as a part of the ECO region.

This process is now fully underway. A new regionalization of Iraq's foreign and economic policies has been taking shape that would directly impact the politics of the Persian Gulf by expanding the ECO's reach in the vital oil region.

The decision by Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamed bin Kkalifa Al-Thani to be a special guest of the ECO Summit also represented yet another milestone in ECO-PGCC relationship. The ECO region is important for PGCC's trade purposes, with Iran potentially acting as a corridor between the PGCC states and the ECO's landlocked Central Asian states.