Iranian business delegation signs cooperation agreement with Izmir Chamber of Commerce

IZMIR (A.A) - February 29, 2012 - The Izmir Chamber of Commerce (IZTO) signed a cooperation agreement with the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Mining on Wednesday with the aim of developing economic relations. The Iranian delegation of about 25 businesspeople, led by Masoud Maleki, visited the IZTO on Wednesday to discuss opportunities for mutual investment and hold bilateral talks. Speaking while meeting the Iranian delegation in his office, IZTO Chairman Ekrem Demirtas said that this was the first time that the IZTO welcomed such a large delegation of businesspeople. Despite the embargoes of various countries on Iran, Turkey considers Iran "a brotherly and friendly" country, Demirtas said. Turkish-Iranian trade volume stands at 15.5 billion USD and Izmir's share in this trade volume is 2 percent. Out of 2,015 Iranian companies active in Turkey, 90 of them operate in Izmir. Such figures were not acceptable by Izmir. Izmir is an heaven of investment and tourism. Izmir is ready to offer opportunities, Demirtas noted. We invite the Iranian businesspeople to invest and live in Izmir. We wait for you all here. There is no obstacle in Izmir for you to establish a company here. Soon, you will be able to purchase real estate property in Izmir. We will make the task of Iranian companies in Izmir easier after they get established in only an hour. The protocol being signed today will contribute to the friendship between Izmir and Tehran, Demirtas stressed. -Invitation to Turkish businesspeople- Masoud Maleki, in his part, said that they felt at home in Turkey. At a time of embargoes implemented by Europe and the United States on Iran, Turkey has always been on the side of Iran, Maleki underlined. Foreign trade figures of our countries resemble each other. We need to further promote commercial and economic ties between our two countries, Maleki emphasized. Iran has great potential in the petrochemical, energy and natural gas fields. Turkey can make use of the affordable energy in Iran and use this energy in advanced technology, Maleki said. Iran meets 11 percent of all world's oil needs and 16 percent of all world's natural gas needs. Iran is ready for investments in the energy, electricity, education and ports fields, Maleki noted. We invite Turkish businesspeople to invest in Iran. We can work together well in all fields. Turkey can do a lot while embargoes of the U.S. and Europe continue. Doing business in Iran offers many advantages, Maleki stressed. We will make efforts so that customs tariffs in Iran are brought down and Turkish businesspeople no longer complain. The Iranian administration wants to increase the trade volume with Turkey to 30 billion USD. In this regard, we have a lot to do. We can see how far Turkey has come in tourism, textiles and technology. We can work together in these sectors. To promote joint works, we will establish a Turkish Desk at our chamber. We want more trade with Izmir. I do hope that our countries' bilateral trade volume would reach 50 billion USD, Maleki said. Following the brief speeches, Demirtas and Maleki signed the cooperation agreement. Businesspeople of the two countries later held meetings among themselves. The Iranian delegation will visit the organized industrial zone and free trade regions of Izmir on Wednesday.