Iran Voices Readiness to Exchange Technology, Deepen Trade Relations with Oman

Hamad bin Hamoud Al Qasabi, Acting CEO of the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn) and Saleh bin Said Masan, Oman's Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion for Commerce and Industry headed an Omani delegation on the visit to Tehran.

The Omani delegation held a meeting with the Chairman of ISIPO Ali Rasoulian in Tehran on Saturday Nov. 12.

In the meeting, which took place at the ISIPO compound, the two sides explored the ways to increase economic cooperation between Iran and Oman in the field of technology exchanges and industrial parks.

In the meeting, Ali Rasoulian, the ISIPO head who is also Iran’s Deputy Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade, emphasized the necessity of preparing guidelines and drawing a road map for joint cooperation between the two countries in the industry field to promote economic relations, and stated, "The establishment of a foreign investment park promotes bilateral cooperation. Economic activities will be very productive. Some countries, like Turkey, are also interested in establishing and running joint industrial parks with us."

Rasoulian pointed to the existing potentials for promoting trade relations between the two countries and said, "Exchanging trade delegations between Iran and Oman and supporting the two countries’ competent companies to participate in joint specialized exhibitions is also a significant factor in deepening relations between enterprises and businesses."

He stated that the "UNIDO" model, which has been implemented in most developed countries, is used in Iran too, adding, “We have exchanges and agreements with Germany and Turkey in the field of technology, which also can be used a basis for deepening economic relations between the two countries.”

“For example, this year, 23 people from Iran's economic agents went to Germany in line with the goal of technology transfer and reached good agreements and understandings in B2B meetings,” the ISIPO chairman added.

 “We have implemented the model of industrial clusters by identifying suitable areas and looking specifically at production chains,” the deputy Iranian industry minister said, adding, “In this regard, 505 industrial clusters have been identified, 202 clusters have been finished, 50 clusters are being implemented and the rest are being studied, and this model can be used as a basis for deepening business relations between the two countries.”

Rasoulian further said that Iran is seeking to revive it’s stagnate industrial units, explaining “12,000 stagnant industrial units have been identified and we plan to revive approximately 2,000 stagnant units a year and return them to the production cycle…”

The ISIPO head further explained that a committee for modernization of industries has been formed.

In that meeting, Hamad bin Hamoud Al Qasabi, for his part, announced his country's readiness to promote trade relations with Iran by relying on the capacity to export technical and engineering services.

“We deal with foreign investors in the same way as Omani investors, and Iranian investors who want to operate in Oman's industrial estates are welcome. We will support them.

Al Qasabi also considered the creation of a joint investment park as another potential to enhance the relations between the two countries and said, "We do not have any restrictions for investment in forming joint industrial parks and we will provide the necessary support with the focus on the private sector."

“Like Iran, Oman's industrial parks are spread all over the country, and supporting production units located in Oman's industrial parks is one of our priorities,” he added.

Also, in the meeting Saleh bin Saeed Masan, for his part, emphasized the communication between the companies and economic agents of the two countries and the establishment of links between Iranian and Omani experts.

Masan also called for the continuation of joint economic activities between the two countries.

Elsewhere in the meeting, Azizallah Ghorbani, the deputy chairman of ISIPO, proposed the creation of an export hub in Oman for the export of Iranian products and the supplying the machinery needed by Iran's industries through Oman.

Saying that 900 export companies are located the Iranian industrial parks, Ghorbani added that linking Oman’s industrial parks with their Iranian counterparts can lay the ground for more cooperation between the two sides.

The deputy chairman of ISIPO further said that about 600 knowledge-based companies have been established in industrial parks in Iran and said that these areas could become a turning point and a base for the promotion of trade relations between the two countries.

It should be noted that earlier this year in August following the 19th meeting of Iran-Oman Joint Economic Commission a cooperation agreement was signed between the two sides in order to increase the volume of exports to Oman and in order to increase the presence of Iranian non-oil goods in the Oman market.

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