BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 31
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
The number of foreign investments made in Iran's free trade zones increased 7.8 times in the last Iranian year (from March 21, 2019, to March 20, 2020) compared to 7 years ago (the current government in Iran came to power since 2013), the Adviser to the Iranian president and Secretary of the Supreme Council of Iran's Free Trade, Industrial and Special Economic Zones, Morteza Bank said, Trend reports citing the council's official website.
He made the remark at a meeting held on August 27 in the Aras Free Trade - Industrial Zone of East Azerbaijan Province.
Bank noted that the foreign investments worth $27 million were attracted in Iran's free trade zones 7 years ago (from March 21, 2013, to March 21, 2014), and however, this figure was $113 million 6 years ago (from March 21, 2014, to March 21, 2015).
The adviser added that about $249 million worth of foreign investments were attracted 5 years ago (from March 21, 2015, to March 20, 2016), while $349 million was attracted 4 years ago (from March 20, 2016, to March 21, 2017).
The secretary emphasized that the foreign investments worth $448 million were attracted three years ago (from March 21, 2017, to March 21, 2018), and this figure was $307 million in the preceding Iranian year (March 21, 2018, to March 21, 2019).
According to Bank, the foreign investments amounted to $211 million in the last Iranian year (from March 21, 2019, to March 20, 2020).
“The number of local investments made in Iran’s free trade zones increased 3.9 times in the last year compared to 7 years ago,” he said.
The adviser said that the volume of local investments attracted in free trade zones was 27 billion rials (about $645,000) 7 years ago, was 58.6 billion rials (about $1.39 million) 6 years ago, was 40.9 billion rials (about $975,000) 5 years ago.
The secretary stressed that the local investments worth 58.9 billion rials (about $1.4 million) were attracted four years ago, worth 50 billion rials (about $1.19 million) three years ago, and 68.9 billion rials (about $1.64 million) in preceding Iranian year.
“About 107 billion rials (about $2.56 million) was invested in free trade zones in the last Iranian year,” he noted.