Iran's path to WTO is open but not near

Iran has no obstacles to joining the WTO, experts said in an interview to Vestnik Kavkaza, commenting on statements by the Ambassador of Iran to Azerbaijan, Mohsen Pakayin, about the intention of the Islamic Republic to join the World Trade Organization after the lifting of sanctions, as the country "will participate in all projects that may be helpful to it."

A senior fellow at the Center for the Study of the Middle East of the Institute of Oriental Studies, Vladimir Sazhin, expects that Iran has become a fully-fledged participant in the global economy and a "magnet" for businesses all over the world during a post-sanction period. It "will make a step to a real fully-fledged return to the world economic system."

Sazhin added that Iran's desire may not coincide with the desires of individual WTO member countries.

"I think many states may prevent this, as they don't want the economic strengthening of Iran, which will happen after the removal of all sanctions. In addition, any country that plans to join the WTO should overcome significant internal legislative work. It was not easy. External and internal negative points should be taken into account. I do not think that the business environment in Iran will be interested in joining the WTO, as a struggle is also expected there," he pointed out.

"It is difficult to say how entry into the WTO will affect the Iranian economy. There are too many fleeting moments in order to predict these changes today. I can say that the lifting of sanctions will provide some economic progress in Iran even without the WTO. The entry of Iran into the WTO is not a quick process. It will run parallel in hand with the strengthening of Iran's position in the world economy. And these two processes will be mutually influenced by each other," Vladimir Sazhin concluded.

The Chief Scientific Officer at the Financial University under the Government of Russia, Valery Abramov, confirmed that Iran has no obstacles to joining the WTO, but it will happen only after a few years, or decades.

"For example, Russia negotiated the process on accession to the WTO for nearly 18 years. It is a fairly complicated procedure for candidate countries to join the organization, and it may take quite a long time. Of course, there are no restrictions on Iran initiating such an application, because the situation is within the international legal field," he said.