The Arabs spring

Javad Tahmasebi/Editor-in -chief

Recent visits paid by delegations from Arab countries in the region have promised a new era of sincere cooperation based on mutual understanding and interest. The matter signifies itself by the fact that some high-ranking authorities including the Emir of Kuwait revealed their interest by their personal visit and meetings with Iranian top officials. On another occasion, a senior group of private sector business people from the United Arab Emirates travelled to Iran to meet their counterparts in the Chamber of Commerce and explore various areas for cooperation and investment. All in all, the new trend demonstrates that Arab investors are feeling a soft and sweet breeze around the Persian Gulf region to cheer them up with good news of a brighter future. They are attempting not to lag behind their European rivals and to grab the opportunities available both in Iran's market and in the region. Not only does Iran provide them with unique investment opportunities domestically, but it also opens the route to other potentially profitable markets in former Soviet Union countries as well as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and even Turkey. As a strategic corridor, Iran connects its southern neighbors to these nations. The other underlying advantage is the stability and security which multilateral relations can offer the region. The Middle East has so far gone through numerous ups and downs and witnessed destructive sectarian, civil and regional conflicts. People living in the area are sick and tired of aggression, cruelty, and loss of thousands of lives due to unjustified wars which sometimes were ignited by external forces. More than any time in history, they feel the mandate to join hands and put an end to years of hostility and enmity. The merits of peaceful life will substantially outweigh those of shaky economic or business ties. New developments in Iran have granted opportunities which should not be lost. The Arabs spring into new opportunities.