Iran, Germany hold business forum in ICCIMA

TEHRAN, Dec. 08 (MNA) – A high-ranking German delegation of businessmen is in Tehran to visit counterparts in ICCIMA to boost bilateral economic ties between two countries. According to ICCIMA public relation office, head of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholamhosein Shafei and Ali Akbar Farazi the deputy for international affairs, and Burkhard Dahmen, deputy-president of NUMOV, the German Near and Middle East Association attended a business forum held by Iranian and German joint cooperation to discuss economic issues. Gholamhoseein shafei highlighted Iranian government policy in railway development. “It's a good opportunity for German companies in railway construction to extend relationships with Iranian companies so as to share their experience in this sector,” he told the meeting. He pointed to the long history of economic relations between traders of two countries; “since the past, Iranian nuts and carpets were the traditional exported goods to Germany and you can see the footprints of well-known German industrial companies such as Siemens in various fields of economy such as oil, gas, refinery and steel industry,” he asserted. The president of ICCIMA appreciated the German companies travel to Iran and their willingness to promote economic ties, adding that “during the last 6 years, sanctions against Iran have been the main reason of record low bilateral relation between European and Iranian companies; we hope to have more visits by traders to expand economic ties.” “Water resources management and setting up latest irrigation systems are the most important consideration for government in next few years. German companies enjoy a good knowledge and background in these industries, which should provide a basis to develop relations between two countries,” Shafei added. For his part, Burkhard Dahmen appreciated the Iranian hospitality and holding of business forum and pointed to German delegations’ activities in various sectors, such as oil and gas, mining, transportation, banking, health care, and nonprofit educational organization. “As Mr.Shafei mentioned, water management is definitely a global challenge in future and we have started access to these technologies many years ago and I think we can boost exchange of expertise in this particular field,” he told the meeting. “The trade between Iran and Germany has been excellent for decades; but we are facing barriers and restrictions on business opportunities and problems of money transfer in the banking system definitely stymie our potential cooperation,” Dahmen Said. He expressed German companies’ willingness to share their experiences with Iranian counterparts. “I am very optimistic for our potential cooperation in future in the case that sanctions is lifted, and our governments should find a way to reach a solution.” “We should look to working jointly in the region; maybe there are some opportunities in some neighboring countries not only for providing machinery and our goods, but also for giving hands on a win-win situation by bringing the labor forces and engineering expertise to those areas,” Dahmen said.