BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 14. Conditions have
been created for Chinese investors to operate in the Incheh Borun
Free Trade Zone in Iran's northeastern Golestan province, the
provincial governor said.
Golestan Governor Ali Asghar Tahmasbi made the remarks during a
meeting with Chinese investors, according to the Golestan
provincial government.
Tahmasbi said all available investment opportunities are being
presented to investors, who can initially operate in logistics and,
at a later stage, engage in imports and exports through the Incheh
Borun Free Trade Zone.
Chinese investors currently export goods from China to Iran, the
governor said. At the same time, they are expected to export goods
from Iran to China and Kazakhstan.
"In the first stage, Chinese investors' investment amounts to
$100 million. This figure is expected to increase to $1 billion,"
he said.
Tahmasbi said the opportunities created by Chinese investors
could allow businesses in Iran, including those in Golestan
province, to engage in the import and export of various types of
goods.
Iran is taking a number of steps to turn the Incheh Borun border
terminal in Golestan province into a logistics hub.
On September 8, documents were signed for investments by Russian
and Kazakh investors in the Incheh Borun logistics center. The
investments covered by the agreements are expected to total 300
trillion rials, or about $185 million.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Iran's Minister of Roads and
Urban Development Farzaneh Sadegh said Incheh Borun is not simply a
border terminal but a strategic gateway for Central Asian and
European countries.
Incheh Borun could serve as a hub for freight shipments from
China to Iran and from Iran to Europe, creating new opportunities
for regional trade and transit.
