Russian-Iranian Economic Interests in Syria (Part 2)

Occupation: Associate Professor, National Research University Higher School of Economics; Research Fellow, Institute for African Studies, RAS
Affiliation:
National Research University Higher School of Economics
Institute for African Studies, RAS
Address: Moscow, Russian Federation

Hamidreza Azizi

Occupation: Assistant Professor
Affiliation: Shahid Beheshti University
Address: Tehran, Iran

Journal name

Asia and Africa Today

Edition

Issue 9

Pages

11-17

Abstract

This paper discusses Russian and Iranian economic activity and interests in Syria and focuses on two macroblocks. First of all it seems to us important to highlight the level of trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Syria, on the one hand, and Iran and Syria, on the other. If for Iran’s economic relations with Syria, it should be noted that although the country has long been one of the top priority targets for Iranian trade and the trade interactions between the two sides were on the rise before 2011, the Syrian Crisis caused bilateral trade to fall drastically. However, Russian economic interests in Syria do not look so obvious and convincing. If we talk about the Russian economic presence in Syria after the Arab spring, it would be more correct to consider the interests of individual Russian businessmen and representatives of the economic elite in specific projects in Syria. Also, this work will be devoted to the difficulties faced by Moscow and Tehran in the implementation of their economic and investment projects in Syria and prospects of cooperation and competition between Russia and Iran. Given the close partnership between Iran and Russia in supporting Bashar al-Assad government, this paper also takes a look on the prospects of economic cooperation or rivalry between Tehran and Moscow in Syria and shows that no mechanism has yet devised by the two parties to manage their competition and promote cooperation in Syria’s economic sphere. Of note, this paper deals exclusively with Iran and Russia’s non-military economic activities in Syria and does not cover issues like arms exports or military aids of the two countries to the Syrian government.

Keywords

Iran, Russia, Syrian crisis, economic development, Syrian reconstruction

Acknowledgment

This article is an output of a research project implemented as a part of the Basic Research Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) in 2019 with support by the Russian Science Foundation (Project No. 19-18-00155).

Received

09.09.2019

Publication date

09.09.2019

Number of characters

23239

Cite

GOST	Issaev L., Azizi H. Russian-Iranian Economic Interests in Syria (Part 2) // Asia and Africa Today – 2019. – Issue 9 C. 11-17 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://asaf-today.ru/S032150750006268-6-1 (circulation date: 05.10.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S032150750006268-6
MLA	Issaev, Leonid M, Azizi, Hamidreza "Russian-Iranian Economic Interests in Syria (Part 2)." Asia and Africa Today 9 (2019):11-17. DOI: 10.31857/S032150750006268-6
APA	Issaev L., Azizi H. (2019). Russian-Iranian Economic Interests in Syria (Part 2). Asia and Africa Today (9), pp.11-17 DOI: 10.31857/S032150750006268-6

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