Iran invites Lanka to enhance exports to Middle-East, CIS

Sha JAMALDEEN

Iran's Vice President Hamid Baghaei urged Sri Lankan entrepreneurs to take advantage of Iran's Chabahar Free Trade Zone - facing the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean -, to promote Sri Lankan exports particularly tea and other products to the Middle-East and the CIS countries.

He also urged Sri Lankan banks to open branches preferably in any of the Free Trade Zones and in the capital Tehran to facilitate enhancing commercial ties between the two countries. The Iranian Vice President met Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Iran M. M. Zuhair at the ICHHTO headquarters in Tehran on Wednesday. Baghaei told the Ambassador that Chabahar FTZ in particular is strategically situated in close proximity to Iran's major south-eastern port, Bandar Abbas, in the Persian Gulf with easy sea and air access to the middle-east in addition to a well serviced rail and highway link to the CIS countries to the North of Iran.

Business leaders from Sri Lanka could find tax and duty concessions very attractive to set-up export packaging plants and warehouses for transmitting goods from land and other facilities available in the Iranian FTZ at nominal rates.

If Sri Lankan entrepreneurs show interest he was ready to host a delegation to see for themselves the Chabahar facilities, Iranian Vice President told Zuhair.

Ambassador Zuhair urged the Iranian side to offer specific proposals which could be studied by the Sri Lankan side to carry forward the proposals. He thanked the Vice President for helping promote closer ties between Sri Lanka and Iran.