In the run-up to and, more increasingly, following the July 2015 accord between Iran and world powers, which saw the end of western sanctions in return for Iran limiting the scope of its nuclear activities, delegations from the world over, especially Europe, have flocked to the country to test the waters for reestablishing a presence in the 80 million-strong market.
Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture Mohsen Jalalpour, quoting secretary-general of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, refers to common impressions formed by these foreign missions about the Islamic Republic and its plans in the post-sanctions era.
Schulz, who visited Iran in November at the invitation of the Iranian Parliament, had the commerce chamber’s Tehran headquarters as his first stop, where he discussed economic cooperation between the private sectors of Iran and European countries.
“All the trade missions coming back from Iran have formed three common impressions about the country, which they have passed on to me,” Jalalpour quoted Schulz as saying.
“First, they all agree that Iran does not want to be viewed as a mere consumer market and that it intends to attract investment and technology in the new economic climate.
“The second impression is that the Islamic Republic is thinking beyond its borders and that it wants to thrive regionally and become a hub for supplying the region.”
Jalalpour added that trade agreements between Iran and European countries, which mostly date back to pre-sanctions years, have now become obsolete and hard to follow through.
“Iran wants these agreements to be redefined with regard to the new conditions after the implementation of the nuclear deal,” he said.
The UN atomic agency confirmed in mid-January that Iran had been complying with the terms of the nuclear deal. The confirmation marked the official end of years of economic sanctions against Tehran.
Heading a 110-strong delegation of Iranian businesses, Jalalpour visited the Austrian capital Vienna last week, where he signed eight memorandums of understanding worth $2 billion in the fields of auto, steel, medicine and engineering services with Austrian firms.
