Chairman of Iran Export Confederation Mohammad Lahouti has welcomed a parliament plan to change the country’s weekend days.
He said that “Iran’s weekend days do not match with 90% of the world countries and trade relations of Iranian economic actors are actually cut off four days a week.”
Lahouti noted that the parliament plan aims to attract more tourists and help give a boost to Iran’s foreign trade.
Presently Thursday and Friday are Iran’s weekend days while the parliament is considering to keep Friday as a weekend day and replace Thursday with Saturday as the country’s second weekend day.
More than 90% of the world countries are closed on Saturdays and Sundays, and there are only a limited number of countries that are closed on Thursdays and Fridays which has caused Iran’s business activities to be practically cut off with the world four days a week, Lahouti said.
Even Islamic countries like Turkey, Syria, and Pakistan have transferred their weekend to Saturday and Sunday, he said, adding that the UAE has also recently joined these countries and it is said that Saudi Arabia is also due to create the same changes in its weekend days.
Noting that Friday is regarded as a very important religious day in Iran, Lahouti said that it is not likely that the government will turn Saturday and Sunday into Iranian weekend days but replacing the present weekend days with Friday and Saturday will also solve a main part of Iran’s trade with the world.