Details added. First version posted on 18:20
Azerbaijan, Baku, May 31 /Trend S.Isayev, D. Khatinoglu/
Iranian presidential candidates today at the live debates spoke about Iran's decreasing oil revenues, IRIB News reported.
Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili said that the government should look at oil export bans as an opportunity.
"We could replace the oil revenues with transits, increased internal production, increased non-oil exports, and also with exports of raw materials," Jalili said.
Former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati said that the country should replace exports of crude oil with petroleum, for instance with petrochemicals or foils. He noted that Iran's geographic position allows to have an opportunity for boosting transits, and use the country as a corridor for transporting goods.
Former First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said the government should avoid spending funds for unnecessary things.
Former Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Gharazi in his turn reminded that he was the oil minister under former president Hashemi Rafsanjani for four years.
"We were selling cheap oil, and our revenues were a lot lower than the current ones. Our economy has become addicted to petroleum dollars, and the only solution to this is to boost internal production," he said.
Secretary of Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei proposed to activate markets and economy zones on the borders to boost cooperation with the neighboring countries. He also added that the economists should participate fully in country's economic strategies.
Tehran mayor, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf spoke about the lack of development of servicing sector in Iran. He noted that this particular sector should have more share of Iran's GDP.
"In advanced countries, agriculture and industry sector shares have 30 percent, while 70 percent goes for the servicing sector. In Iran the servicing sector is only about 45 percent. We should boost this sector, as well as IT, health sectors as well," he said.
Ghalibaf added that the most important thing is to make sure the investments into various sectors and spheres are protected. He said that the government should implement measures to provide security for investments.