The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in a difficult geopolitical situation provides not only a good, but practically the only opportunity for many global companies and brands to develop their activities in a continuous mode. The forum’s unique platform performed these functions even during the COVID-19 pandemic, being one of the first to open its doors to businessmen, and is performing now when the global economy is becoming even more turbulent. In times of crisis for the world, the forum has demonstrated its professional character, proving its worth, which is always appreciated in a real business that is subject to many risks.

The organizers of the SPIEF have always paid special attention to representatives of the business community from those countries that were subjected to unfair pressure from the protectionists of the West. Attempts to regulate the free market, including Western sanctions, deliberately mixed economics with politics, seeking to remove competition from world trade. The list of countries subjected to unfair pressure grew larger and larger, and at some point the global economy began to shrink rapidly, unable to tolerate artificial mockery of its own nature. Fortunately, business has always had a free and guaranteed “window” in the form of SPIEF. Without SPIEF, global business would have had a very hard time.

One of the countries for which the St. Petersburg site is of strategic importance is Iran. Iran, which has been under the pressure of Western sanctions and various kinds of illegal restrictions for decades, can appreciate the huge role of the SPIEF better than anyone else. Paradoxically, due to regular participation in the SPIEF, the Iranian economy gets opportunities for development even when the leading Western countries themselves fall into crisis. Western protectionists are clearly unable to bypass such a huge part of the global economy and logistics as Iran.

In their documents, which have already become the property of history, the organizers of the forum note that “since 2016, the Iranian agenda has always been included in the SPIEF program.” It is also emphasized that “Russian-Iranian relations are intensively developing in a wide range of spheres – political, trade and economic, financial, transport, humanitarian and tourism.” And the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Russia and Iran are a practical tool for the implementation of signed agreements.

A large Iranian delegation will also take part in the upcoming SPIEF anniversary on June 15-18, 2022, celebrating the 25th anniversary of its activities. The regular expansion of Iran’s participation in the forum automatically affects the development of Iranian industry. Thanks to this, the leading sectors of the Iranian economy have roughly doubled, and experts are talking about the onset of a new, larger-scale stage of Russian-Iranian cooperation. All this became possible thanks to the SPIEF, the Eurasian Economic Union, with which Tehran is getting closer, and other integration formats.

The new stage of such cooperation takes into account any threats to Russian-Iranian relations, which allows them to be leveled at any stage. The Russian-Iranian tandem, from the point of view of logistics – transport and transit communications – is located in the most advantageous place in Eurasia, reliably connecting not only West and East, but also North and South. Such positioning of Iran is not able to shake any Western sanctions.

According to corporate media, in preparation for the forum and in order to further expand Russian-Iranian ties, an agreement was signed between the Roscongress Foundation, which deals with investment issues, and the Chamber of Cooperatives of Iran.

Kazem Jalali, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Russian Federation, is very active. He said: “We want the relations between our countries to be stable and comprehensive in the sphere of economy, trade, politics, culture and all those areas in the bilateral format between our countries that are beneficial to the two countries, as well as to our peoples. I am sure that the SPIEF-2022 platform will help to preserve and increase the positive dynamics of development between our countries as much as possible.”

Iran is just one example of a concrete result, including the creation of the necessary legal framework, which the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum helps to achieve. A forum that gathers not only business partners, but also friends.