Iran Pursues Normalization of FATF Case at Eurasian Group Meeting

Iran’s delegation to the 42nd meeting of the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG) is working to normalize the Islamic Republic’s case with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an Iranian official said.

Hadi Khani, Secretary of the High Council for the Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing of Iran, has said that Iran’s presence at the 42nd meeting of the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG) is of great importance and provides the country with an opportunity to strengthen its network and advance the normalization of the its case with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The 42nd EAG anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing meeting commenced in Moscow on May 26, with Iran attending as an observer. More than 200 representatives from over 15 countries across Eurasia, West Asia, Africa, Southeast Asia, and 20 international organizations are participating in this event.

Established in 2004, the EAG includes China, Russia, India, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Khani expressed hope that, with the assistance and experiences of EAG member states and even observers such as Japan, Iran would be able to expedite the normalization of its case with the FATF. During the main session of this meeting, slated for Thursday and Friday, Iran will present its measures and decisions in combating money laundering, according to the official. He also said that, on the sidelines of this event, the Iranian delegation will meet with heads of anti-money laundering groups from BRICS member countries.

At Iran’s proposal, the Caspian Sea littoral states established a working group named “Fight Against Money Laundering and Drugs” during the previous round of discussions, and this issue will be addressed again in the current round, Khani noted.

The Islamic Republic has used the EAG platform to present its actions at various meetings, he said, adding that during the ongoing event, Iran will also share some of its measures with other countries through representatives from certain Iranian agencies. - IRNA