Iran aims to expand foreign investment

Iranian Foreign Ministry says it will support the country’s private sectors and businessmen, as part of enhanced efforts to boost economic diplomacy.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki made the announcement among Iranian economic officials and representatives of the country’s private sectors upon his return from an African tour, Fars news agency reported on Wednesday.

Mottaki reiterated that the decision was part of the ministry’s task to facilitate investment of Iranian businessmen and firms in foreign countries, particularly in the African continent.

“The Iranian Foreign Ministry is duty-bound to back the private sectors’ plans and measures and the private sectors should see their interest in line with the interest of the nation,” he said.

The Iranian top diplomat went on to say that the economic diplomacy was one of the objectives of the ninth and tenth administrations and that supporting Iranian foreign investors was among the policies of the current administration of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The guidelines of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei prompted the government to prepare the ground for Iranian companies to expand their business beyond Iran’s borders, Mottaki further explained.

The Iranian foreign minister went on a four-day Africa tour, visiting Benin, Togo, Ghana and Burkina Faso in an effort to expand Tehran’s relations with African states.

During the visits, Mottaki emphasized the importance of activating joint trade and economic commissions and expanding cooperation between Iran and African nations.