BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.19
Trend:
The sensitivity over Iran and Swiss financial channel has been reduced after the new US government came to power, head of Iran and Switzerland Chamber of Commerce Sharif Nezam Mafi said, Trend reports citing IRNA.
"It is expected that banks could intensify work, and we're maybe looking at some changes," he said.
"There have been agreements so that businessmen would have permits to expand trade and obtain better conditions to transfer money," he said.
"Iran and Switzerland trade during the coronavirus spread in past year was only related to humanitarian commodities," he said.
"Medicine and grain are the major commodities imported by Iran from Switzerland, some of the imported goods were basic materials for producing medicine," Mafi said.
"The trade limitations between the two countries is not due to lack of interest but it's because of difficulties to transfer money," he said.
"The new US administration has not returned to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the previous US government has imposed sanctions that were illegal and can be used for their own interest in negotiations," he said.
"The Swiss companies are rare cases among European companies that have not left Iran during sanctions and their factories continued to operate in Iran and we are seeing their products in our market," he said.
"During this time, the investment activities of Swiss companies faced many limitations including the problems of transferring profits back to the parent company," he said.
"These companies also faced difficulties in terms of import, the trade between Iran and Switzerland has 200 years of history," he said.
"Switzerland is interested to be in Iran, but banking problems and bureaucracy issues should be resolved to expand cooperation," he said.