“Considering the excellent capacities and political ties they have with each other, the volume of cooperation and exchanges between Iran and Turkey can increase”, said Behrouz Alishiri, the Vice Minister of Economics and Finances in his meeting with Ahmad Esko, the deputy Prime Minister and the Head of Turkey’s Privatization Organization.
According to the Public Relations Department of the Organization for Investment, Economic & Technical Assistance of Iran (OIETAI), while making mention of the general policies originating from Article 44 of the Iranian Constitution, Mr. Alishiri said: "we an very well benefit from Turkey’s extensive experiences with regards to privatization and offer Iranian companies such as the Petrochemical and Telecommunications companies to international markets and let’s not forget that privatization process has been accelerated in Iran”
He reminded: “the experiences and the figures indicating investment absorption show that Turkish investors view Iran as a golden opportunity for investment”.
He also said that Turkish investors have shown more interest in wood and textile sectors. He went on to mention the successful presence of many foreign investors in Iran including South Africa’s MTN and said: “the Iranian market is untapped and uncompetitive for foreign investors”.
Referring to the cultural commonalities of the two countries, Ahmad Esko, the deputy Prime Minister and the Head of Turkey’s Privatization Organization said: “the significant increase in the economic, cultural and political relations of Iran and Turkey bears witness to the serious resolve of the high-ranking officials of the two sides to expand ties in all areas”.
Mr. Ahmad Esko reiterated that “we, as the representative of the largest private and public sector of Turkey, have come to Iran to discuss investment opportunities here. We have held negotiations with the Gheshm Free Zone Organization and we are going to make investment there”.
Saman Ghasemi the Director General for foreign Investments of OIETAI who was present in the meeting, elaborated on Iran’s Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Act (FIPPA) and added: “since there are customs and tax exemptions in place in free zones, the Turkish investors may participate in the construction, operation and transfer of port projects of Iran”.
Ghasemi concluded his remarks by saying: “foreign investors can rest assured that they will enjoy legal privileges and in case the Iranian companies fail to stay committed, the government will protect them”.