Russia-Kazakhstan-Malaysia Keen To Boost Economic Ties With Iran

Tehran, Sept 9, IRNA – A senior Iranian official in separate meetings with the Russian, Kazakh, and Malaysian ambassadors to Iran, voiced support for Iranian contractors who win tender bids in other countries. Chairman of Board of Governors of the National Development Fund (NDF), Seyed Safdar Hosseini also called on the foreign ambassadors to study the possibility of joint ventures with the cooperation of national wealth funds. In his meeting with Levan Dzhagaryan, the Russian envoy to Tehran, Hosseini elaborated on the status of the NDF in supporting promotion of the private sector. He also called on the Russian ambassador to lay the ground for cooperation of the NDF with Russian funds, to share experiences and ideas, and to study the conditions for formation of joint ventures. The Russian envoy, for his part, shed light on the performance of Russian funds, and expressed hope that practical and scientific cooperation between the two countries’ funds would commence as soon as possible. There are three funds in Russia: Reserve Fund, National Wealth Fund, and Russian Direct Investment Fund. In a meeting with the Kazakh ambassador to Tehran, Bagdat Amreev, the Iranian official said the NDF could finance Iranian contractors who win tender bids in Kazakhstan. He added that Kazakh companies which establish representative offices in Iran could enjoy the financial assistance of the NDF. Moreover, importers of Iranian goods to Kazakhstan can also be financed by the NDF. The Kazakh envoy for his part welcomed all the available means for bolstering of commercial activities between the two nations. Malaysian ambassador to Tehran, Raja Nour Shirvan Zeinolabeddin, in a separate meeting with Husseini, elaborated on the difference in structure and performance of the Malaysian fund. According to the Malaysian envoy, the Malaysian National Wealth Fund is the direct shareholder of strategic companies. He added that this fund does not merely focus on profitable projects but in fact shoulders several social responsibilities. Furthermore, the Malaysian envoy hoped that anti-Iran sanctions would be lifted to pave the way for cooperation between NDF with the Malaysian Wealth Fund. /end