According to the official website of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), the head of IRICA Mehdi Mirasharafi held a meeting with a member of the presiding board of Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the EAEU Customs minister on a visit to Russia in Moscow on Friday, February 9, Mehr News Agency says.

Given the fact that the bill on Iran’s accession to the EAEU has alrady received the approval of the Iranian government and Parliament, Mirasharafi held talks with EAEU officials in Moscow to begin preparations for Iran’s accession to the EAEU free trade zone.

The two sides discussed Iran's proposal to exchange a mutual recognition agreement (MRA) and a memorandum of understanding on electronic data exchange to be taken into account by the EAEU.

The agreement could benefit Iran in various ways, inter alia, securing tariff reductions for exporting its goods to the member countries of Armenia, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Belarus.

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU, or EEU also known as the Eurasian Union (EAU), is an economic union of states located in central and northern Eurasia. The treaty aiming for the establishment of the EAEU was signed on 29 May 2014 by the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, and came into force on January 1, 2015.