Bottom Line
Russian president's visit to Iran
On October 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Iran for a historic visit, the first visit by a Kremlin leader since Stalin joined a summit there in 1943 during World War II.
The visit went ahead despite Kremlin's warnings of an assassination threat. The alleged plot to kill the Russian president prompted Mr. Putin's staff to cast doubt on the trip, only for the Russian president to announce that he was not deterred. The Russian president dismissed the claims, telling reporters: "Of course I am going to Iran. If I listened to what the security services said, I would never leave my home."
The Iranian government called it baseless, and a conspiracy by enemies of Iran to prevent President Putin's visit to Tehran. It is a part of the disinformation campaign spread by adversaries to spoil Russian-Iranian relations, according to an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman.
In Tehran, the Russian president attended a summit of leaders of Caspian Sea states, which will bring together the sea's five littoral states -- Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
The Caspian Sea is endowed with oil and gas, and the countries want to develop and share the resources equitably. They are expected to make an announcement on a convention determining a new legal status for the resource-rich body of water, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry
What does Iran want from Russia?
During the visit, he met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the powerful spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a rare honour for a visiting non-Muslim dignitary. Observers believe Iran's nuclear program is set to top the agenda. Tehran wants not only diplomatic help in blocking UN sanctions over its refusal to end its controversial nuclear program, but also wants to ensure continued Russian technical assistance. It is a program that has been dogged by delays, with Moscow claiming that Tehran was behind with its payments, and Iran suspecting that Russia was dragging its feet for political reasons. The government hopes that Mr. Putin will confirm that Moscow will complete the Bushehr nuclear reactor being built by Russian engineers. President Putin travelled from Germany, where he met the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and reportedly told her that he was not convinced that Iran was manufacturing nuclear grade uranium. Mr. Putin has called for a peaceful resolution of the dispute, urging the international community to show patience in the matter. Moscow has, until now, cold-shouldered the effort of the US and other western countries to impose harsher sanctions. It wants to enable the UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, to work with Iran on clearing up outstanding issues. During the visit, President Putin asserted that Iran had a right to develop peaceful nuclear energy. Furthermore he said that "we should not even think of making use of force in this region." Why is the Russian president visiting Iran?
There are several reasons, and some of them deserve mention: First, Russia has thought it fit to renew its diplomatic influence in the Middle East. Steadily, President Putin has developed good relations with Syria and Iran, the two countries the Bush administration has no dealings with. It is a golden opportunity for Moscow to counter-balance the domination of the US in the region. Earlier, Russia proposed to restore permanent presence in Syria's Russian naval base that has been empty for years. Second, with sufficient money in its coffers from oil and gas exports, Russia is more confident than ever about demonstrating its power and influence across the world. President Putin (born in St.Peterberg) has not forgotten Russia's glorious past. Peter the Great ruled Russia, and was respected and feared by European monarchs. The Soviets equally matched the power of America during the Cold War. Third, President Putin believes that the time has come for Russia to show the US that unilateralism in international affairs is not acceptable, and multilateralism has come in its place to resolve all global issues. The Iran visit is an instance in point. Fourth, Russia, according to some observers, wants to tease the US in visiting a country that is a part of the "axis of evil" for the US. For Russia, the visit is a part of game of power with the US. Iran has hosted visits of heads of countries who share its antipathy towards the US, such as Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez and Belarus President Aleksander Lukashenko. But the Russian president's visit to Iran is important for Tehran, even if all its expectations do not come to fruition. It breaks Iran's international isolation from great powers. It demonstrates that Iran is an important country and a regional power. International politics is not only about opportunities but also about the right policies at the right time. It is a diplomatic coup for Iran at a time when Iran feels that its role in the region is being marginalised by the West and, at this point of time, the visit of the Russian President is a "win-win" situation for both the nations. Barrister Harun ur Rashid is a former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva.
During the visit, he met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the powerful spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a rare honour for a visiting non-Muslim dignitary. Observers believe Iran's nuclear program is set to top the agenda. Tehran wants not only diplomatic help in blocking UN sanctions over its refusal to end its controversial nuclear program, but also wants to ensure continued Russian technical assistance. It is a program that has been dogged by delays, with Moscow claiming that Tehran was behind with its payments, and Iran suspecting that Russia was dragging its feet for political reasons. The government hopes that Mr. Putin will confirm that Moscow will complete the Bushehr nuclear reactor being built by Russian engineers. President Putin travelled from Germany, where he met the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and reportedly told her that he was not convinced that Iran was manufacturing nuclear grade uranium. Mr. Putin has called for a peaceful resolution of the dispute, urging the international community to show patience in the matter. Moscow has, until now, cold-shouldered the effort of the US and other western countries to impose harsher sanctions. It wants to enable the UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, to work with Iran on clearing up outstanding issues. During the visit, President Putin asserted that Iran had a right to develop peaceful nuclear energy. Furthermore he said that "we should not even think of making use of force in this region." Why is the Russian president visiting Iran?
There are several reasons, and some of them deserve mention: First, Russia has thought it fit to renew its diplomatic influence in the Middle East. Steadily, President Putin has developed good relations with Syria and Iran, the two countries the Bush administration has no dealings with. It is a golden opportunity for Moscow to counter-balance the domination of the US in the region. Earlier, Russia proposed to restore permanent presence in Syria's Russian naval base that has been empty for years. Second, with sufficient money in its coffers from oil and gas exports, Russia is more confident than ever about demonstrating its power and influence across the world. President Putin (born in St.Peterberg) has not forgotten Russia's glorious past. Peter the Great ruled Russia, and was respected and feared by European monarchs. The Soviets equally matched the power of America during the Cold War. Third, President Putin believes that the time has come for Russia to show the US that unilateralism in international affairs is not acceptable, and multilateralism has come in its place to resolve all global issues. The Iran visit is an instance in point. Fourth, Russia, according to some observers, wants to tease the US in visiting a country that is a part of the "axis of evil" for the US. For Russia, the visit is a part of game of power with the US. Iran has hosted visits of heads of countries who share its antipathy towards the US, such as Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez and Belarus President Aleksander Lukashenko. But the Russian president's visit to Iran is important for Tehran, even if all its expectations do not come to fruition. It breaks Iran's international isolation from great powers. It demonstrates that Iran is an important country and a regional power. International politics is not only about opportunities but also about the right policies at the right time. It is a diplomatic coup for Iran at a time when Iran feels that its role in the region is being marginalised by the West and, at this point of time, the visit of the Russian President is a "win-win" situation for both the nations. Barrister Harun ur Rashid is a former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva.
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