Pursuing Iran’s technology diplomacy in Europe

Iran’s minister of ICT

By Seyed Sattar Hashemi

Belgrade, a city of history and nature, lies at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers in the Balkan Peninsula. It is the new destination for a foreign mission aimed at advancing relations focused on technology diplomacy.  

This city, with its captivating blend of modern structures, historical landmarks, churches, and fortresses from the Ottoman and European eras, bridges the past and the future. Its strategic and geopolitical position makes it a gateway to the European continent.  
Following visits to Cuba, Venezuela, Kazakhstan, and the United Arab Emirates, we now head to Serbia—a vibrant and motivated country. Thanks to the calm in diplomatic relations, Serbia has become Iran’s largest trading partner in the Balkan region.  
Trade between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Serbia reached €120 million in 2023, marking a 100% growth. Coupled with Serbia’s average GDP growth rate of over 3% in the past five years, this sets a logical and evident expectation for continued economic growth and expanded cooperation between the two nations.  
Over the past six months, the Ministry of ICT has repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to leveraging technology diplomacy to enhance economic and trade collaborations. During this visit to Serbia, we aim to deepen cooperation between technology companies in the fields of information and communications, as well as to pursue shared interests.  
Meetings have been arranged with Serbian counterparts, including the Minister of Information and Telecommunications and the Minister of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation. These discussions will highlight Iran’s readiness to exchange experiences, deepen collaborations, and provide diverse infrastructure for digital transformation and the promotion of a digital economy. Additionally, the implementation of previous memoranda of understanding, such as increasing postal traffic between the two countries, will be pursued.  
Proposals from Iran in the upcoming negotiations include establishing a joint investment fund to support digital innovations, facilitating e-commerce processes, increasing imports and exports of technological products, launching and maintaining data centers, fostering cooperation between technology parks, and developing joint solutions to enhance cybersecurity.  
In this context, the signing of a joint cooperation document between Tehran and Belgrade, focused on creating and expanding cloud infrastructure and defining joint projects in artificial intelligence, underscores the determination and interest of both countries in building strong bilateral relations.  
Serbia’s current presidency of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) and the activities of the Iran Chamber at the Department of Oriental Studies at the University of Belgrade over the past five years provide additional platforms for shaping and enhancing scientific and research collaborations between the two nations.  The Islamic Republic of Iran’s approach to bilateral relations with Serbia emphasizes respect for the 87-year history of their ties and mutual respect despite differences, aiming to maintain stability and sustainability.  Capacity-building for expanding cooperation in less-explored areas of communications and information technology is crucial, especially given that the economic prosperity of both countries depends heavily on advancing technological and innovative developments in the ICT industry.  Key potential opportunities in the bilateral relationship include visa-free travel for Serbian citizens to Iran with a one-month stay allowance, Serbia’s position as Iran’s largest trading partner in the Balkans, and the readiness to implement joint projects in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and academic exchanges.  
We hope that these potentials, through expanded interactions and continued negotiations in the coming months, will create fruitful opportunities and complement the capacities of Iran and Serbia in new areas of information and communication technology. With a focus on technology diplomacy, we believe that ICT can serve as a facilitator and accelerator for Tehran-Belgrade relations.