By Mahmoud Javadi

Iranian-European relations are in a gloomy state: Europe and Iran have long concentrated on shared challenges and differences, instead of on their common interests. GDL Member Mahmoud Javadi argues that there are indeed possibilities for improvement, by setting the focus on the shared interests, and that the EU can, and should, play its part.

The European Union aspires to become a global security provider and has also made clear its intention to increase engagement in the Gulf region. At the same time, environmental, water and food insecurity is growing worse in Iran and its neighbouring countries, which gives Europe the opportunity to demonstrate its real commitment to managing human insecurities. This would open the door to a more positive engagement between Europe and Iran, as well as a fresh focus on shared interests. Using these shared interests as a framework for cooperation would make Europe a geopolitically trusted actor.

You can read Mahmoud’s full opinion on how the focus on shared interests can improve Iranian-European relations in his blog entry for the ECPR’s Political Science Blog “The Loop”.

You can also delve deeper into the topic by reading Mahmoud’s previous GDL blog entry on “A German Contribution to Engagement between Iran and the Arab World“.

About the author:

Mahmoud Javadi is an Iranian diplomat and research fellow at the Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS), affiliated with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is also active in state-funded think-tanks across the country.

Published on November 11, 2021.