07.10.2013 Ankara

Iran’s Ambassador to Ankara, Alireza Bikdeli visited TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu at his office. Expressing his conviction that the newly appointed Ambassador Alireza Bikdeli will contribute to the economic relations between Iran and Turkey, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu also stated that he is following the announcements of the newly elected Iranian President Rouhani closely.

“Institutionally, we are in close cooperation with the Iranian Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines (ICCIMA). DEİK’s Turkish-Iranian Business Council exists. We need to strengthen the Business Council. We need to add youth and dynamism. Bilateral relations are very important. You have very solid figures. We need to remove customs obstacles between us,” said Hisarcıklıoğlu and emphasized the importance of commerce for prosperity. Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We say that we are brothers but block trade. Trade brings peace. Natural gas and petroleum make the governments rich but do not benefit the people. Trade needs to develop for the people to prosper. Iran and Turkey are two well situated countries among the Islamic countries.”

- Ambassador Alireza Bikdeli

Emphasizing that the embargoes on Iran should be seen as an opportunity, Ambassador Alireza Bikdeli stated that if they are able to achieve their 35 billion USD trade volume target, Turkey will become Iran’s top trade partner. Ambassador Bikdeli said, “We are promoting both Iran and Turkey as well as doing our best to develop bilateral trade. In this regard, utilizing TOBB’s capacity is an important step in actualizing these goals. It gives us hope to know that TOBB is ready.”