Iran, Switzerland Opt for Broadening Mutual Cooperation
Iran, Switzerland Opt for Broadening Mutual Cooperation
TEHRAN (FNA)- Senior Iranian and Swiss officials in a meeting in Bern on Tuesday underlined the need for the further expansion of relations between the two countries.
During the meeting in Switzerland’s capital today, Deputy Head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization Sadeq Ziayee Bigdeli and Director General of International Cooperation from Swiss Ministry of Economy Ms. Julia Levi explored avenues for reinvigorating and bolstering of bilateral ties.
The two sides reviewed the latest status of economic ties and the projects available for joint venture investment in Iran.
Ziayee Bigdeli and Levi exchanged views on Iran’s possible membership in the World Trade Organization and the convention on intellectual property rights.
Bigdeli pointed to the improved economic indices in Iran and said Iran would be an important market for Swiss companies to have access to 80 million population market of Iran and the several hundred million markets of regional countries.
Levi, for her part, said that the Swiss government welcomes implementation of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
She expressed pleasure with resumption of banking ties between the two countries to cover trade interactions and declared her country’s readiness to support Iran to join WTO and the convention on intellectual property rights as well.
Regular consultations on economic ties between Iran and Switzerland was initiated upon a roadmap drawn by Swiss president during his visit to Iran in February 2016.
In relevant remarks in late February, Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann said his country supports Iran’s membership at key international economic and trade organizations.
“Iran should join the multilateral economic organizations to develop and grow. We support Iran’s membership bid,” Schneider-Ammann said in a meeting at Tehran’s Chamber of Commerce.
Noting that he is accompanied with representatives of 40 Swiss companies, Schneider-Ammann asked his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani to bring 400 Iranian traders to Bern in his future visit, given the fact that Iran has a bigger population than Switzerland.
He referred to the current trade ties, and said, “The removal of sanctions will pave the way for Iran’s economic development. Some 140 trade delegations from different countries have visited Iran before and after the nuclear deal to find market and trade opportunities.”
Schneider-Ammann said the two sides could now cooperate in various fields, such as industry, tourism, medicine, and water resources.
“In addition to the trade delegation, a scientific and research group is accompanying me to cement ties with their Iranian partners,” he noted.