Swiss ambassador: US wants open business space in Iran

EghtesadOnline: Swiss Ambassador to Tehran Giulio Hass said on Wednesday that the US wants opening of the business space in Iran.

News ID: ۷۶۸۱۰۹

13 July 2016

Hass, who takes after the US interest section in Tehran, made the remarks in a meeting with a group of provincial officials and economic activists.

Hass said, 'As ambassador of Switzerland taking after the US interest section in Iran, I go to the US several times a year. I got to know that the US Administration is willing to open the economic space in Iran.'

'By next several years, the volume of trade exchanges between Iran and European states will reach several billion dollars in value because Europeans are willing. Any progress in economic activities in Iran depends on good progress of political issues.'

The ambassador said in the meantime that Swiss government wants the pharmaceutical and food supplies reach a good standard. It depends on Iran to select a good partner for itself.

'The Swiss tourists like too much to come to Iran and touring Iran is interesting for them, of course.'

Touching on the Iran-G5+1 nuclear talks, the Swiss ambassador said Swiss government had always supported the talks.
'After the Iran-G5+1 talks, my country's president came to Iran.'

Hass said the nuclear accord has now provided an opportunity to adopt realistic approach to trade and business.
'After the nuclear deal, the countries interested in economic cooperation with Iran need an opportunity to test Iran's atmosphere and how it goes on.'

The Swiss ambassador said one of the barriers of investment in Iran, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, is lack of Iranian accession to the intellectual property rights convention.

'To facilitate investment, Iran should remove impediments on the way of intellectual property rights. For instance, pharmaceutical companies in the past undertook to make several hundred million dollar investment in Iran, but, due to absence of Iranian accession to the intellectual property rights convention, they backtracted.'

Iran has applied for membership with the World Trade Organization which included the Intellectual Property rights in addition to enabling the member states to export goods to the international markets in light of comparative advantages of every nation, but, the United States blocked Iranian accession over the past 20 years for political objectives.

The current state of affairs in the international community is in a way that the basic human rights of the nations who are not friendly with the United States are systematically violated and they must suffer deprivation and poverty.

Such conduct of the United Nations with the nations not friendly with the US creates a dangerous fate for the sovereign nations. In reaction to violation of their basic rights by the world order, they bring to power radical groups.