Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade, said Tuesday during the opening ceremony for Iran-EU center for economic cooperation in Berlin that the nuclear deal has presented the opportunity for a fresh round of cooperation between Iran and western countries, particularly Germany.
He added the center, the idea of which was proposed by the Iranian minister himself, can serve as a good beginning point in reviving Iran’s cooperation with Germany because “we have had good trade ties with Germany in the past and the volume of our trade transactions stood at 7-8 billion euros before the sanctions.”
Nematzadeh expressed hope that the center could create more cooperation between the two side’s companies, adding “currently, we are faced with no political restriction and those European companies and banks that were playing it safe have now realized there is no problem with having cooperation with Iran.”
“Almost two to three business delegations from around the world visit Iran every week,” Nematzadeh said. “We can expand cooperation with the world in various fields such as car industry, banking relations and other economic areas.”
He further stressed that Iran could be a center in the region for trade cooperation with Europe.
Nematzadeh’s Deputy Mehdi Karbasian, who was also present during the opening ceremony, predicted that Germany would become Iran’s first or second major partner within the next three or four years.
Iran-EU center for economic cooperation comprises one thousand square meters and is located in the German Near and Middle East Association (NUMOV) building.
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