Portuguese Companies Waiting for Removal of Sanctions to Cooperate With Iran
Portuguese Companies Waiting for Removal of Sanctions to Cooperate With Iran
Ambassador of Portugal to Tehran Carlos Costa Neves in meeting with Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mine and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam-Hossein Shafei said Portuguese companies are waiting for removal of sanctions against Iran to resume their economic activities with Tehran.

TEHRAN (Iran News) –  Ambassador of Portugal to Tehran Carlos Costa Neves in meeting with Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mine and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam-Hossein Shafei said Portuguese companies are waiting for removal of sanctions against Iran to resume their economic activities with Tehran.

In the meeting, Costa Neves pointed to almost five centuries of historic relation between Iran and Portugal and said fortunately the two countries have good relations especially political one but at the same time they have not ignored significance of economic, cultural and sport cooperation.

He noted especially in the field of sport, some of good Iranian football players are now in the Portuguese League, adding that he knows well that there are projects for cooperation in football and officials of football federations of the two countries have met and there are broad fields for cooperation in this field.

He reiterated that Portugal is waiting for the positive developments in the Vienna talks which is to be held soon and expressed hope the sanctions would be lifted, adding that this is a serious concern for big companies.

Costa Neves went on to say that fortunately he has heard positive news as Iran has accepted to return to the negotiation table and this has created a positive economic prospect, and companies hope to return to Iran and resume their investment after the sanctions removal.

He said the Embassy of Portugal follows all news related to the JCPOA and it has kept its economic advisors in Tehran despite the U.S. pullout of the JCPOA.

He also announced readiness of his country for broadening economic cooperation with Tehran, adding that Portugal is ready to take steps for bilateral cooperation which both countries benefit it. He reiterated that Portuguese companies constantly inquire the embassy for the condition in Iran for cooperation and therefore, if the sanctions are removed, cooperation will resume immediately.

Costa Neves said that Iran is an opportunity and after the pandemic some companies lost some part of their market and sanction-less Iran can be a good attractive economic opportunities for Portuguese companies.

He said the two countries should first identify the fields for the joint economic cooperation but Portugal is good in the field of industrial equipment and it can provide Iran with high quality products with the cheaper price. He then pointed to water management, new energies and medical equipment as the other fields that both countries can have joint cooperation and they can resume immediately after sanctions are lifted.

Then Shafei, for his part, pointed to the historic relation of Tehran and Lisbon and hailed Portugal’s achievements in the economy and especially the country’s new approach towards the Middle East and the Persian Gulf states and it has boosted the level of relations with the countries in the region.

He then pointed to the considerable capacities of Portugal for meeting the needs of Iran’s market, adding that Portugal stands in a high level in the fields of textile, fishery and cork and the country ranks first in the world in terms of cork production. He added that Iran is an importer of olive oil while Portugal is the fourth olive oil producing country in the world and this is a good capacity for boosting bilateral economic relations.

Shafei went on to say that Iran and Portugal can cooperate in other fields like auto making, glass, ship-building, plastic, ceramic, textile, petrochemical, food industries and tourism as well as agriculture.

He admitted that sanctions have led to the decline in the economic cooperation between Tehran and Lisbon but in the future and by taking proper measures, they can compensate and take action for increasing the trade level.

He then pointed to the significance of Portugal for the ICCIMA and said the chamber launched Iran-Portugal Joint Commercial Council years ago and this council should become more active. He said in 2020 the ICCIMA tried to send a trade delegation to Lisbon but Portugal’s chamber of commerce did not welcome it, expressing hope the chamber would dispatch a trade delegation to Lisbon.

Shafei assured Costa Neves that Iranian products are as good as its football players and expressed hope the trade relation between Tehran and Lisbon would grow favorably in the future.