AMBASSADORS, COMMERCIAL ATTACHES VISIT IRAN’S QESHM FTZ

Asia Pulse
Published: Feb 20, 2007

QESHM ISLAND, Hormuzgan prov, Feb 20 Asia Pulse – Ambassadors and
commercial attaches from 10 foreign countries on Sunday visited
industrial, transit and tourism facilities in Qeshm Free Trade Zone.

According to the Public Relation Department of Qeshm FTZ, managing
director of the organization, addressing the representatives, said that
the 20-Year Outlook Plan and the Fourth Five-Year Development Plan
(2005-2010) underline expansion of international exchanges through
free trade zones.

Mohammad Asghari added that special strategic priority of FTZs
including Qeshm is that they lie along the North-South corridor
and near international waterway, therefore, have proper transit and
industrial facilities to expand international exchanges.

Pointing to the infrastructures of the island to develop economic
and international links, he added that given the abundant oil nd gas
reserves in Qeshm and its villages, the region will become one of
important hubs of oil and gas industry of the country.

Oil ministry and private sector are cooperating in the construction
project of transferring crude oil from Qeshm to Bandar Abbas, he said,
adding that private sector will obtain the ministry’s permission
to establish a gas refinery and oil refinery with the capacity of
120,000 and 160,000 bpd respectively.

Development of Qeshm International Airport was implemented at a cost
of more than US$84 million under a finance deal, and will come on
stream soon, he noted.

Pointing to industrial, productive and tourist potentials in Qeshm,
he expressed the organization’s readiness to attract domestic and
foreign investments, in particular in private sector through the
participant ambassadors.

German Ambassador to Iran Hubert Honsowitz, for his part said that tax
exemption, lower costs in customs offices and facilitating entrance
and exit of foreign investors into and from Qeshm island are among
the benefits of such FTZs to attract foreign investments.

A European delegation will visit Iran soon, he said, noting, "We will
provide them with appropriate information in this respect." Joint
working groups will be established to expand commercial and trade
exchanges between Qeshm FTZ and the foreign representatives to pave
the grounds for attracting investments.

Ambassadors and businesspersons from Germany, China, Brazil, South
Africa, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan
and Armenia visited various projects in Qeshm FTZ.