Warnings mount over secret agreement between Tehran and Beijing
Warnings have escalated in Iran after the disclosure of a
secret agreement with Beijing for the latter to control the capabilities and
wealth of the Iranian state, taking advantage of the country’s weak economy due
to US sanctions.
Secret agreement
In this context, former Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad issued warnings that the agreement, the period of which extends for
a quarter of a century, was negotiated without consulting the Iranian people. He
stressed that any secret agreement with foreign parties and without the will of
the people opposes the nation’s interests, is considered illegitimate and will
not be recognized.”
During a speech in Gilan Province, Ahmadinejad compared the
agreement with China to the Iranian nuclear agreement with the Group of 5 + 1,
which was approved by the United Nations Security Council, adding that “neither
parliament nor the people had seen” the secret agreement. Addressing the
regime, the former president said, “It is in your interest to allow the people
to know the content of treaties concluded with foreign parties.”
Strategic relationship
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi rushed to
attack Ahmadinejad, pointing out that there is strategic cooperation between
Iran and China against common enemies and that the treaty is “honorable and in
the interest of strategic relations between the two countries.”
A comprehensive cooperation agreement was concluded between
the two countries on June 21 in the presence of President Hassan Rouhani. The
details of the plan, which was approved by the Cabinet, were not announced, but
previous reports indicated a plan to attract $400 billion in Chinese investment
in Iran’s energy sector.
It is worth noting that the British magazine Petroleum
Economist published an article last year confirming the signing of the
agreement, which stipulated that Beijing invest $280 billion in energy over five
years, $120 billion in transportation and roads, and hosting 5,000 Chinese citizens
in Iran to follow the progress of the treaty.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif denied the existence
of a secret agreement, although he previously announced that there was a proposal
for a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Beijing for a period of 25
years, the provisions of which are being worked out.
Common interests
In contrast, Radio China International pointed out that
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had talked with Zarif via video and that Wang
Yi said the two countries are "strategic partners of each other, and they
understand each other on issues of great importance and relevance to common
interests."
