TEHRAN (Iran News) Moqimi discussed how the harsh sanctions have made international connections for Iranians more challenging and emphasized the need for specific strategies to maintain and strengthen these relationships. She pointed out that in recent years, the Iran-Georgia Chamber of Commerce has been exploring various strategies to safeguard their economic and commercial relations under these difficult conditions, with the main goal of keeping the economic ties alive. She noted the ongoing impact of politics and economics on each other.

One of the key priorities for the Chamber, she stated, is to continuously review strategies for preserving and expanding international economic relations, sharing these with members, and examining the current ecosystem.

She emphasized that today, innovation and startup activities are receiving special attention globally. Georgia has become an attractive destination for entrepreneurs due to its favorable tax policies, easy access to international markets, and government support for innovation and investment.

Referring to the 2019 World Bank report, Moqimi highlighted Georgia’s ranking as 6th in terms of ease of doing business. Additionally, the 2023 Startupblink index listed the country among the top 100 startup ecosystems globally.

Moqimi identified the key players in Georgia’s startup ecosystem as the government, growth centers and accelerators, investors and investment funds, and universities and research centers. She mentioned that starting a business in Georgia comes with several incentives, such as low taxes, a fast company registration process (which can take as little as two hours), access to international markets, and low operational costs.

These incentives are also available to foreign investors, she noted, adding that approved business plans from designated authorities could benefit from the outlined incentives. Furthermore, businesses can register their brands in Georgia. However, like other countries, there are challenges for businesses entering the market, including a lack of venture capital, which could restrict foreign investment, a limited domestic market, and access to a limited pool of skilled labor.

Moqimi also discussed export regulations for startups in Georgia, explaining that businesses can either establish a new company in Georgia or open a branch of a foreign company.

She described Georgia not just as a destination but also as a gateway, especially considering its strong position in transit and transportation. China, the UAE, and India have made significant investments in the region and have developed its ports.

Looking ahead, Moqimi forecasted that Georgia’s market, given its available resources, has the potential to become a key player in the region’s economic landscape.

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Iran has made it clear that it’s closely watching the situation and won’t accept any geopolitical changes on its doorstep.

Over the last few days, the authorities of Baku and Yerevan traded accusations of trying to initiate new major military escalations. Videos and photos circulating on social media indicated that the accusations may be rooted in reality as both countries have moved to reinforce their troops along the border.

In parallel, the leaders of Baku and Yerevan started discrete diplomatic campaigns to win over regional and international heavyweights in apparent anticipation of a major escalation of tensions.

Iran is closely following the developments as they unfold.

On Saturday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi received a phone call from Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as part of the Armenian premier’s diplomatic push to fend off a potential war with Azerbaijan.
In what appeared to be a warning to Azerbaijan, President Raisi said Iran is ready to prevent any changes in regional geopolitics.

For context, the Republic of Azerbaijan has been calling for the establishment of a corridor called “Zangezour” that links the exclave of Nakhchivan to mainland Azerbaijan ever since it won the 2020 Karabakh war.

The corridor, if established, would cut off Iran’s access to Armenia, potentially depriving Iran of an alternative route to Europe. Iran has made it crystal clear that it won’t accept this geopolitical change all while highlighting the need for maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

But it seems that Iran’s continued calls for peace and security have fallen on deaf ears in Baku and Ankara, which are clearly trying to impose new geopolitical realities.

President Raisi once again reiterated Iran’s firm position regarding the situation in the South Caucasus region.

Responding to a report about the situation in the region presented by Pashinyan, Raisi reiterated the serious opposition of the Islamic Republic of Iran to any tension and changes in the historical borders of the region, according to a readout by the official website of the Iranian presidency.

Raisi emphasized the readiness of Iran as a powerful neighbor to play an effective role in preventing new conflicts and any changes in the geopolitics of the region.

Announcing the Islamic Republic of Iran’s support for the territorial integrity of all countries in the region, President Raisi said, “We believe that regional issues should be resolved through dialogue between the countries of the region, and we are seriously opposed to the involvement of foreign countries in the Caucasus region’s issues. Iran is ready to play its role to help resolve issues through diplomatic talks.”

In another part of this telephone conversation, President Raisi expressed his satisfaction with the report of the Prime Minister of Armenia on the favorable progress of economic cooperation and the implementation of the agreements and the readiness of our country to further develop economic and commercial interactions and accelerate the implementation of agreements with Armenia.

In this telephone conversation, Pashinyan, while presenting a detailed report on the latest developments in the South Caucasus region as well as the field developments in the Caucasus, stated, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has always played an effective and constructive role in establishing, maintaining and strengthening peace, stability, and security in the region.”

While appreciating the positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Caucasus region, the Prime Minister of Armenia also presented a report on the latest status of economic cooperation between the two countries, as well as the measures taken to accelerate the implementation of the agreements reached during his visit to Tehran last year.

Simultaneously, an Iranian military delegation met on Saturday with Zakir Hasanov, the defense minister of Azerbaijan in Baku.

The two sides discussed security issues in the region, according to Fars News.

The timing of the meeting suggests that the Iranian delegation might have conveyed a message from Iran regarding the prospect of new escalations between Baku and Yerevan.

Iran has offered help to achieve peace and security in the South Caucasus region through diplomatic means. But it also said it cannot accept any use of force in the region to dictate new geopolitical realities. It remains to be seen whether Baku and Yerevan heeded the Iranian calls.

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At a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday night in Tehran, Raisi stated that the best method to combat terrorism is to protect each nation’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

“The effective exercise of national sovereignty of any government over all its territories is the best way to prevent terrorist and anti-security activities,” the president insisted.

Turkey and Syria are moving toward a rapprochement after having their relations broken for more than ten years.

In breach of Syria’s territorial integrity, Turkey sent military there in October 2019.

Raisi also expressed confidence that Tehran-Ankara collaboration will increase under the next term of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, citing the shared cultural and historical heritage of Iran and Turkey.

He said that the joint economic committee between Iran and Turkey would be helpful in fostering trade ties between the two nations.

The Iranian president stressed the significance of dealing with foreign forces present in many regions, including the Caucasus, effectively and stated that all governments in every region should address their issues via communication and collaboration.

For his part, Foreign Minister Fidan said that Iran and Turkey have significant potential to increase their level of cooperation and are capable of achieving the $30 billion goal set for their yearly trade.

“Strong ties between Iran and Turkey will promote regional stability”

In a meeting in Tehran on Sunday between Fidan and Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Akbar Ahmadian, the sides talked about ways to comprehensively expand cooperation between the two countries, especially in the security and economic arenas.

Ahmadian noted that cooperation between Iran and Turkey would serve the interests of the two neighbors while ensuring regional security and stability.

Emphasizing the long history of collaboration between Iran and Turkey, Iran’s top security official said strong ties will help maintain stability and promote security.

“The development of friendly relations between the two neighboring countries will meet the interests of Iran and Turkey,” the security official continued.

Ahmadian also voiced optimism that Tehran and Ankara’s ties will advance to the heights sought by their respective leaders.

He then pointed to last year’s remarks by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei at a meeting with Turkey’s president, who stated that “Turkey’s security is Iran’s security”.

“Iran and Turkey are on the same ship, and the enemies of the two, have clear understanding over this matter, accordingly they are trying to disrupt the process of bilateral cooperation and hinder the synergy of the vast capacities of the two countries,” Ahmadian cautioned.

The SNSC secretary asserted that terrorists who were armed by the West and the Zionist regime have hurt Iran and Turkey, adding that “fortunately, the countries of the region have come to a common understanding that ‘unstable security’ is not guaranteed, and it is not sustainable. Only local mechanisms and regional cooperation will guarantee stable security in the region.”

Ahmadian stressed the necessity of bolstering economic cooperation between Tehran and Ankara, particularly in the areas of energy and transit, adding it would be simple to reach the aim of $30 billion in trade exchanges.

Emphasizing the importance of cooperation between the two nations in addressing Islamophobia and insults to the Holy Quran, Ahmadian said, “Iran and Turkey, as the two large countries in the Islamic world, are obliged to fulfill their religious and historical duty to act against the cowardly attack of international Zionist agents against the beliefs of millions of Muslims in the world.”

He then cited developments in the Caucasus region and Iran’s opposition to any geopolitical change in the region, saying that the holding of the 3+3 meeting was an effective measure to clear up miscommunications and settle disputes between the regional states.

Fidan, for his part, highlighted the interest of Turkey in full growth of relations with Iran.

He also voiced optimism for the beginning of a new phase in bilateral and multilateral collaboration.

“In this regard, the two countries must be careful and be alerted of the mischief of the enemies who have targeted the relations between the two countries with their destructive actions, especially with the use of media outlets,” Foreign Minister Fidan stated.

The Turkish foreign minister also commended Iran as a sizable and responsible country in the region and complimented its contribution to the battle against terrorism.

He also expressed Turkey’s delight over the restoration of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The senior Turkish diplomat, who was leading a high-ranking entourage, visited Tehran on Sunday and participated in a news conference alongside his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir Abdollahian.

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