Envoy hopes for further expansion of Iran-Sweden ties

Iranian Ambassador to Sweden Hamid Reza Shakeri Niyasar expressed the hope that Tehran-Stockholm relations would further bolster in the near future. Speaking to FNA, Shakeri Niyasar pointed to a three-day visit by Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt to Iran which will start on Monday, and said, “I hope that we will soon see the return of the golden and magnificent era of the Iran-Sweden relations.” During his three-day visit to Tehran, Bildt will meet his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and other senior officials. Shakeri Niyasar underlined that the visit of the Swedish foreign minister to Tehran will have a positive impact on the broadening of Tehran-Stockholm relations, specially in economic fields. Meantime, Swedish Ambassador to Tehran Peter Tejler also underlined his country’s enthusiasm for the further expansion of ties with Iran, and expressed the hope that the two countries’ Joint Chamber of Commerce would soon start operation. “We seek to revive the relations between the two countries and believe that we can activate Iran-Sweden Joint Chamber of Commerce through mutual cooperation,” Tejler said in a meeting with Chairman of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce Gholam-Hossein Shafeyee in Tehran earlier this month. “The economic ties should be expanded through the presence of the two countries’ private sectors which needs a proper framework, and the representatives of the two governments can facilitate these relations,” he added. Tejler said that the volume of trade exchanges between Tehran and Stockholm should also increase. Also in a relevant development last week, representatives of Swedish banks and industries in a meeting with Iranian Deputy Economy Minister Shapour Mohammadi underlined their preparedness to rapidly expand relations with Tehran. “The Swedish industry has been cooperating with Iran’s financial and private sectors for years and given the breakthrough which has recently happened in the relations with Iran, there is now a possibility for returning (to the Iranian market) and developing relations with Iran again,” the head of the Swedish delegation said in the meeting in Tehran. He described Iran as one of the most reliable economic partners, and said the few trade problems between the two countries were the result of the western sanctions which can now be obviated by the gradual removal of embargos. After Iran and the six world powers signed a deal in Geneva in November numerous political, parliamentary, economic and trade delegations from various EU states have visited Iran. But observers believe that the visit by the Swedish delegation which was the first since Tehran and the West took practical steps on Monday to start implementing the November deal, including the partial removal of the Western sanctions on Iranian economy, heralded imminent expansion of financial, trade and banking cooperation between the two states. In relevant remarks in December, Chairman of the International Council of Swedish Industry Erik Belfrage underlined his country’s readiness to boost economic and trade cooperation with Iran. During a meeting with Iranian Deputy Economy Minister Behrouz Alishiri in Tehran, Belfrage stressed Iran’s huge economic capacity, and expressed the hope that the council would be able to strengthen Swedish companies’ presence in the Iranian projects. Commenting on Geneva nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers, he said that if the positive trend of the agreement continues, major Swedish companies will make investment in Iran. Also in December, the Swedish foreign minister underlined that the time has now arrived for the removal of the US-led EU sanctions against Iran. “There is no reason that the European Union should not annul some parts of the sanctions it has imposed against Iran,” Bildt said.