Iran and Emirates

In a meeting of the Chambers of Tehran and the Emirate, under the participation of the respective principals as well as the ambassadors of these two countries some problems and obstacles were mentioned. All participants emphasized the development of commercial relations.

Willingness to provide information
According to the public relation department of the Chamber of Tehran, Yahya Al Eshagh, the chamber's head, considered the transportation system as one of the potential fields for investment in the current situation. Referring to the transportation system and particularly to the rail transit as one of the priorities in the budget for 20014 as well as the fifth development plan, he mentioned that the chamber has the complete willingness to providing information about Iran's projects. The head of the chamber of Tehran also recommended creating a committee of some representatives from both sides to follow and solve the problems of Iranian and Emirati merchants. This committee facilitates both sides' representatives to be in touch with each other and immediately take action whenever a problem occurred. Al Eshagh insisted that both sides concentrate on improving their relationship. He added that Iran would always have to be ready to help Emirati traders in Iran and help the Iranian ones in the Emirates in solving problems through cooperation. At the end of his speech, Yahya Al Eshagh named the representatives of Tehran Chamber of Commerce. Moreover, the Chamber of Commerce of Tehran is appointed to employ these people in order to solve the merchants' problems. They are supposed to serve as representatives of the Chamber of Commerce of Tehran holding constant contact with the Emirates' Chamber of Commerce.

Identifying the opportunities
Mohammed Thani Alramisi, the head of the Chamber of Commerce of the UAE, considered the meetings between the two groups as opportunities to recognize investment potentials in Iran. According to Alramisi, UAE's priority is to identify Iran's current potentials and to get prepared to invest in them. He believes that commercial groups of both countries should continue establishing cooperation. This allows the businessmen of both sides to be updated about the latest changes and to explore existing investment capacities.Admiring the establishment of a Joint committee of two countries, Alramisi stated that it has to be done by the Chamber of Commerce of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and other chambers of the UAE. According to him, commercial chambers in the UAE have an action council, which evaluates the problems and potentials in trading and addresses the issues of foreign businessmen. As a result, Iranian merchants who face problems in the UAE can present them in front of this council. The head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the UAE emphasized that the situation imposed on banks and private companies made Iranian merchants suffer from losses and difficulties. Definitely, Emirates companies also suffered from the same situation as much as their Iranian counterparts.

Iranian merchants in a better situation
Saif Mohammad Obeydozaabi, the UAE Ambassador in Tehran, welcomed the offer for cooperation in the field of rail transportation and emphasized the need for investments and cooperation between the parties. Pointing out to the positive reports from businesses and private businessmen, the UAE Ambassador stated that the number of tourist and business visas issued for Iranian citizens has increased significantly. According to him, at the time being, there are 68 flights from Iran to UAE per week. Interestingly, they are fully booked which shows the priority of Iranians to travel to the United Arab Emirates. While admitting that there are some problems for Iranian businessmen in UAE, he claimed that Iranian merchants are in a better situation in the Emirates compared to their foreign counterparts.
Saif Mohammad Obeydozaabi mentioned some problems related to banking relations which should be solved step by step. The private banks of the UAE have faced some limitations which make them strict. Despite all these problems he thinks that the UAE officials are optimistic. As these issues are resolvable in the near future, Iranian and Emirati citizens will be able to do all their financial transactions by credit card.

Complaints about current problems
As a businessman who is working with UAE's companies, Hamid Hoseini, a member of the executive board of the Chamber of Commerce of Tehran mentioned some problems that Iranian businessmen face. He asked the head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the UAE to work on solving these issues. According to him, Iranian merchants do not have high job security. The problems of visa and residency are always a matter of concern for them. As a member of the executive board of the Chamber of Commerce of Tehran, Hoseini emphasized on the problems of Iranian traders in Emirate banks which make the commercial process with the UAE difficult, expensive and risky. At the end he said that Iranian traders expect UAE's central bank and government to overcome these obstacles.

Tripartite Joint Investment
In addition, Masud Khansari, the head of the transportation and communication committee of the Chamber of Commerce of Tehran, declared that 500 million tons of goods are transported annually to Iran. UAE investors can invest in rail transit, as well as the road system and transportation fleets. Khansari said that Iran is the gateway to seven landlocked countries and the south of Iran is the only way for countries like Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan to have access to international waters. He declared that these countries currently meet their needs through the UAE, and commodity transportation difficulties are the reasons why they have not improved their commerce. He suggested a tripartite joint investment, like the joint experience between Iran, Germany, and Uzbekistan which allowed Uzbekistan's cotton to be shipped to Europe. Khansari proposed such a project for Iran, the UAE, and Iraq in order to export the Iraq oil products.

Strong desire of both sides to expand cooperation
The secretary general of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the United Arab Emirates was surprised by the warm welcome of Iranian merchants and highlighted it as a strong desire for bilateral cooperation. Moreover, he emphasized the necessity of more attention in solving the current issues. He asked the Chamber's officials not to hesitate in asking for help in case of any problem.