Following a formal invitation from Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, Dr.Razavi president of the Institute for Trade Studies and Research attended the KIEP and Associations of Area Studies Conference from October 20 to 21, 2016 in Seoul, as a keynote panelist. The theme of the conference was “Partnership with Emerging Economies under Deepening Global Uncertainties”. 
With conflicts raging in different parts of the world, export-oriented economies like a South Korean stand to lose the most from political, economic and security instabilities. The issue is also of high priority for Iran since traditional methods of risk assessment put it in an unfavorable position in terms of receiving foreign direct investment and initiating trade relations. 
In his keynote speech, Dr.Razavi argued that in the time of increasing regional complexities and dynamics, identifying leverage points of the system and key partners are critical. In his opinion, identification of key players and initiating long term partnerships will determine the winners and losers in the era of heightened uncertainties.
He articulated that unlike the global trend, Iran is a nation moving towards less uncertainty in a sea of ambiguity. To leverage the opportunities in Iran, the partners and investors will need a strategic risk assessment framework substituting the more rigid and traditional views. This framework emphasizes on engaging uncertainty to find local solutions and highly values enhancing resiliency in an unstable environment. Dr.Razavi also stated that given Iran’s new open posture, the international business community could make the utmost use from Iran’s role as a platform for regional production and re-export, in a secure environment. 
In his visit to South Korea, Dr.Razavi also signed a MoU with Korea Institute for Industrial Economy and Trade for increasing bilateral research cooperation and exchanging scholars. Meetings with officials from Korea Development Institute, representatives of Korean chaebols, banks and business community along with scholars interested in Iran were also on the agenda of this trip.