Iran signs industrial cooperation deal with Nordic states

Tehran (ISNA) - Iran has signed an agreement with Sweden, Denmark and Finland to cooperate over joint industrial projects.The agreement was signed between the ambassadors of the three countries and the head of the Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO).

Finland’s ambassador to Iran Keijo Norvanto in a Twitter message said the agreement was meant to promote collaboration in a variety of technical areas.

They, Norvanto emphasized, included oil and gas, high-tech, transportation, renewable energies, manager training, industrial renovation, steel, water, investment and finance, Press TV reported.  

Iran’s media also quoted Swedish ambassador to Iran Helena Sangeland as saying after signing the agreement with IDRO that her country was interested in promoting economic relations with Iran, stressing that Swedish private sector enterprises were specifically interested in cooperating with their Iranian peers.    

Furthermore, Denmark’s ambassador to Iran Danny Annan was quoted as saying his country was interested in expanding cooperation with the Islamic Republic over the production of solar panels.

The director for international affairs of IDRO Ali Araqchi told reporters the idea to sign an industrial cooperation agreement with the three Nordic countries had emerged last year.

Araqchi said the agreement would make IDRO – which is the engineering arm of Iran’s Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade – would make the organization the gateway for the three countries to the industrial sector of the Islamic Republic. 

The official added that the move indicated the willingness of Sweden, Denmark and Finland to enhance relations with Iran. 

Iran’s Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mohammad Shariatmadari said in late February that the country had been able to attract around $10 billion in foreign investments since 2013 when President Hassan Rouhani came to office, Press.

Shariatmadari said this showed the policies of the government to attract foreign investments were paying off even though the country was still grappling with the impacts of the multiple-year US-led sanctions.

EU ready to mull possibility of connecting Iran to SGC

Tehran (ISNA) - European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic announced EU is ready to discuss the possibility of Iran’s joining to the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) with all partners of the project.

Sefcovic made the remarks in a press conference at the 4th Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council in Baku.

The official further noted that in order for Iranian gas to be delivered to Europe, necessary infrastructures should be provided in the country.

This will also depend on Iran's strategy, as presently the country mainly focuses on increasing oil export, he said.

Expression of interest by different countries to the Southern Gas Corridor once again testifies to its importance as a strategic infrastructure, he added.

Thanks to the project Europe will have access to a region rich in energy resources, Sefcovic said, adding the European side is ready to discuss all further opportunities related to the Southern Gas Corridor.

The issue has been several times discussed with Iran’s representatives, he added.

The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority projects for the EU and provides for the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.

The goals of the Southern Gas Corridor are to reduce Europe's dependency on Russian gas and add diverse sources of energy supply.

The route from Azerbaijan to Europe consists of the South Caucasus Pipeline, the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline, and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline.

The total investment of this route is estimated $45 billion.

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