Iran needs to increase its economic attachés, as the country is currently facing harsh sanctions, a lawmaker said.
“Iran has business attachés in 30 countries … There is potential to put more on duty in other countries if the country’s budget allows,” Ali Najafi Khoshroudi, a member of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, told ICANA on Tuesday.
Severe economic sanctions, lifted under Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with the world powers, have been reimposed by the United States that abandoned the deal last May. This calls for closer cooperation with other countries to counter the effects of American restrictions.
“The government’s main focus on economic diplomacy and the considerable capacities of the country for international ties make it necessary to have more economic diplomats around the world,” Khoshroudi added.
Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif had said at the beginning of his second term in office in August 2017 that economic diplomacy, along with development of ties with neighboring countries, will top the agenda of his diplomatic team in the following four years.
These envoys, according to Khoshroudi, are dispatched by Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization and the Industries Ministry in coordination with the Foreign Ministry.
“They are economic experts with adequate knowledge and experience to attend to the country’s economic affairs,” he said.
Currently, Iran has business-economic attachés in Russia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Iraq and other regional and European states.
