Just a Mood Swing

03 January 2011 | 01:17 Code : 9863 General category

Mahmoud Shouri

In his meeting on Sunday with Victor Ivanov, director of the Federal Service for Narcotics Traffic Control of the Russian Federation, Iran’s interim Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi called for open talks between the two sides. Salehi added that Tehran and Moscow can regulate their political interactions in a way that benefits both countries.

Mahmoud Shouri, Russian affairs analyst, comments on the current state of Iran-Russia relations for Iranian Diplomacy:

Iran-Russia ties have switched to a tense mode in the past year, and the Tehran-Moscow road is not as smooth as it used to be. Stern remarks by senior officials of both sides (such as Ahmadinejad’s harsh comments in the city of Kerman and Medvedev’s remarks against Iran’s nuclear program) are clear signals of how relations have deteriorated. The new mode has also revived age-old suspicions of Russia in Iran’s political and media circles.

Salehi’s call for open dialogue is an effort to revamp the ties. As head of Iran’s Organization of Atomic Energy, Salehi is cognizant of Tehran’s and Moscow’s mutual needs. At bilateral, regional, and international levels, Iran and Russia share interests (e.g. nuclear cooperation, security arrangements in the Caucasus and Central Asia, new global order) that should not be jeopardized by mood swings. Unrefined remarks could take Iran-Russia relations to a point of no return.

Since the start of his presidential term, Dmitri Medvedev has adopted a policy of approaching the West, particularly the United States. This has come with a price for Russia, which is dissociating from Tehran. Although Iranians resent Russia’s drift one can predict that relations will soon start to thaw, as Tehran and Moscow will face serious diplomatic challenges in the absence of mutual cooperation. Medvedev will also soon realize that straining ties with Iran will serve his country no good.