Iran Chamber of Commerce President Mohsen Jalapour has announced a joint special task force will be formed by Iran and Finland to resolve banking issues between the two countries.
Speaking at the Finland-Iran Business Forum, Iran Chamber of Commerce president described the current uncertainty about the status of Iranian banks and companies as the two main concerns of the Finnish banks. “While the banking relations between the two countries has dropped enormously in recent years, the current condition is not rare,” Jalalpour said. He announced that the Iran Chamber of Commerce had planned to follow three main missions to tackle the financial restrictions between the two nations.
Elaborating on the new plan, Iran Chamber of Commerce President Mohsen Jalalpour said: “First, Iran Chamber will follow up so that Iranian banks and companies reach the needed financial transparency. Second, the Iranian side will form a group of experts from Iran Chamber of Commerce, Iran Central Bank, and Iranian and European banks in order to give a clear picture of the problems that have remained unsolved. Third, Iran Chamber will provide the European side any information needed about the structure of the market and the companies in Iran.”
Jalalpour is accompanying Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif who is heading a 60-strong politico-economic delegation to four European countries of Poland, Finland, Sweden and Latvia. The Iranian delegation attended the Finland-Iran Business Forum on Tuesday evening on the second leg of their European tour. They had visited Polish business counterparts at the Polish-Iranian Economic Forum on Monday evening in Warsaw.
Companies from Iran and Finland are eager to expand partnership but banking restriction is the main obstacle on the way, Iran Chamber of Commerce president said. Jalalpour further reiterated the decision on the Iranian side to strengthen small and medium-scale enterprises asking the Finnish investors to join the new investment opportunities. He said a new special task force would be formed to resolve banking issues preventing bilateral business relation between Iran and Finland companies.
Zarif urges attempts to ease trade restriction on Iran
Iran’s Javad Zarif also spoke at the Finland-Iran Business Forum and urged all ‘businessmen and politicians’ to wage attempts to remove restrictions on Iran’s financial transactions.
Addressing the forum in Helsinki, Foreign Minister Zarif said he believes that trade and business delegations would not be brought together by “political agenda” rather, “it is financial interests that connect economic delegations”. Zardi said: “The most important issue here is financial and banking restrictions on Iran which should be eased.”
“Iran is a capable country and will definitely tackle restrictions on its banking and financial transactions. Our security, economy, technology, and science are indigenous. This, however, would not mean deprive ourselves of global value chain; together, we will win or we lose together; I am optimistic about the future and will choose a positive version of future accordingly,” he said.
Accompanied by a delegation of 70 representatives of Finnish companies, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development of Finland Lenita Toivakka visited Iran early December 2015.
Iranian delegation is scheduled to visit Sweden and Latvia in coming days.