Iran and Russia's Neighborhood Policy and Economic Diplomacy: Challenges and Solutions (مقاله علمی وزارت علوم)

چکیده

Due to external factors (like sanctions) and internal issues (such as poorly managed privatization and banking), the country's economic performance has been disappointing over the past decade, with economic growth averaging less than 2%, inflation over 20%, and negative 5% fixed capital formation. Consequently, the country now falls into the category of low-income nations in international reports. Additionally, the loss of the golden era of revenues from crude oil sales has increased restrictions on the government's access to programmable financial resources. Therefore, to address these challenges, Iran must reconstruct its trade flows and explore new economic activities, particularly through economic diplomacy with neighboring countries. This effort should also involve defining new areas for economic activities. For this reason, while it is possible to view economic diplomacy through conventional political definitions as a means to enhance a country's standing in the international arena by promoting foreign trade and creating new markets, in our country, economic diplomacy should be regarded primarily as a strategy to navigate the current challenges facing the national economy. Within this context, among other states, Russia is identified as a key partner for enhancing trade. The conclusions of this research identify the most significant trade obstacles between Iran and Russia as follows: A) Inadequate business infrastructure, B) poorly organized foreign trade activities, and C) The complexities of international political economy. Conversely, the principal solutions to enhance trade levels include A) strengthening infrastructure, B) fostering joint investment opportunities rather than solely focusing on exporting goods, C) enhancing the information and marketing sectors, and D) diversifying the range of exported goods.