Turkey

Mohammad Reza Bakhtiari

Turkey's emerging economy could boost Iran's commercial and industrial development, said the vice president for international affairs at Tehran's Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture.
Iran. This is not a new event. There has always been bilateral relations and such visits between the two countries. Turkey is strategically located on the crossroads of Europe and Asia and plays a key role in our relations with the Green Continent. It is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world and has strong international trade ties.
With a lot of opportunities and commercial capabilities, Turkey is eager to have growing political and economic relations with Iran. We saw it in Turkish Prime Minister and other officials' recent visits to Iran. Definitely Iran's oil has always been a matter of interest. Iran is one of Turkey's biggest energy suppliers. On the other hand, the imposed sanctions have caused difficulties for our economy and we also took some advantages from our ties with our neighbor. It made us able to survive and thrive despite all the unilateral and multi-lateral sanctions against Iran.
In my assumption, the two countries are more likely to expand their relations after the political changes in Iran. It is an opportunity for Iranian businesses, investors and entrepreneurs. I mean that, under the new government, Iran is now ready for constructive relations with the world and Turkey officials embraced it. Our private sector should also take great advantage of this situation.
Some might claim that it is not yet the right time to expand the relations due to the disagreements over Syria. My response to those people is that different countries have different foreign policies which are rooted in their national interests and approaches towards international issues and we cannot expect our neighbors to have the same national interests and priorities as we do. That might be ideal for us but those disagreements and different views are pretty normal.
Iran and Turkey have their own intellectual origins and national interests which are rooted in the demands of their nations. I believe that, just like Iran, Turkey has its own views, beliefs and guidelines in the international community and they cannot be waived for the benefit of other countries even the world powers. Albeit, this does not mean ignoring the international laws which are necessary for all the nations in the world to live peacefully. Neither Iran nor Turkey is an exception to this. It is important to note that no country in the world sets its goals and determines its foreign policy options based on the benefits of another country.
We can see this strategy in Turkey's foreign policy. Despite the sanctions they sent trade delegations to Iran amid These days we hear a lot about growing Tehran - Ankara relations and visits paid by Turkish trade delegations to increasing competition in order to have more advantage than other rivals .The purpose of these visits is to recognize and evaluate opportunities for future cooperation. Although some countries have warned Turkey against doing business with Iran, Ankara officials are aware of the advantages of their presence here. Recently, the Izmir Chamber of Commerce with a delegation of 64 Turkish tycoons visited Iran and the City of Asalooyeh in Bushehr province to explore grounds for investments in Iran's oil and gas sector. The delegation was headed by the Turkish Development Minster to attend the 27th meeting of Iran-Turkey Joint Economic Commission in order to improve economic cooperation.
An unprecedented "preferential trade agreement" was signed during Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Tehran to boost reciprocal trade ties between the two countries.
The agreement gives preferential access to certain products from the participating countries. This is done by reducing tariffs and the tariffs will be variable. The Izmir Chamber of Commerce members tried to provide the ground for signing a goods-swap deal with Iran. In that case, central banks and commerce ministries of both countries will reach an agreement on a list of goods and products and their value in Rial. After the official confirmation by both sides, the goods will be stored near the border in order to be exchanged. We both believe that there is still much to do and the plan needs further comprehensive studies.
Izmir delegation visited oil and gas projects in the south including Azadegan oil field. In our assumption, due to the restrictions and imposed sanctions against our energy sector we need to use the potentials of all the countries which are willing to participate in the development of Iran's oil and gas industry and Turkey has the potential to invest in our mega projects .
Turkey has tried to import the technical knowledge and the technology in the past years to stimulate its economy and build a competitive advantage in the global economy. South Korea did the same during a period of time and improved its technical capabilities. Without any oil and gas reserves, this country is currently a big player in oil exploration industry and production operations in other countries.