According to the International Iranian Stone Exhibition, Seyed Hossein Salimi on the importance of foreign investment on the country's economic growth said: Any country that has been able to increase its economic growth in the short term, only by attracting foreign investment, for example, China was able to attract foreign investment. Save its economy so that today it has the first and second ranks of the world economy. In Malaysia and Indonesia, they were also able to see the impact of foreign investment on their economies.

Salimi continued: "Therefore, the role of foreign investment in the macroeconomy is very important and its impact is not only because of capital inflows but also because of technology, international brands and international communications that foreign companies have and can help us in production and export to neighboring countries."

He added: "Without foreign investment in Iran, we certainly can not achieve a jump of 8%, which was part of the country's plans." These investments are in the interest of both the foreign side and the economy of the country and can increase the speed of economic growth. For example, if we want to produce equipment from scratch, it may take five years, but if we can import it with foreign participation, we can use it today. Therefore, the role of foreign investment is well known and is essential for countries that want to achieve high economic growth quickly.

Referring to the existing potentials for investment in the country, Salimi said: "A country may seek to attract foreign investment but does not have the facilities, but our country is second in oil, gas first and mineral resources, so that any kind There are minerals in Iran. There are many young and educated employees in the country, which has attracted foreign investment, which we have. But unfortunately, according to the statistics on the foreign investments of countries based on their potential and population, our country does not have a good ranking, which is mainly due to sanctions.

"We have the capacity to attract about $ 100 billion in foreign investment annually, and each of the major oil and petrochemical projects can raise $ 20 billion to $ 30 billion," he said. Many dilapidated refineries can be repaired with the help of foreign investors. Total also entered Iran in these cases a few years ago, but left it after the sanctions and in the middle of work.

"For various reasons, we have not been able to attract foreign investment according to our potential, and we have only been able to attract $ 3 billion to $ 4 billion in foreign investment a year," said the president of the Iran-Foreign Joint Investment Association. One of the clauses of the sanctions is that if anyone has invested in the United States; It cannot invest in Iran at the same time. This is a big hurdle for big companies like Total. 3 to 4 billion dollars a year to attract foreign investment may be 5% of the needs and facilities of our country.

He stated: When a company wants to invest in a country, it does not only pay attention to the population of that country for the consumer market. Our country has the facilities of 450 million people around Iran, which are two or three hours away from us. Today, if a product is produced in Tehran province, it can be in Turkmenistan one hour by plane and four hours later by truck. No country has such facilities that can meet the needs of its neighbors. All our neighbors are consumers, Iran can ship its products to the whole world through the Persian Gulf. Therefore, Iran's position is very exceptional and it can produce and deliver goods quickly and cheaply.

Salimi added: "This is one of the issues that foreigners pay attention to in order to invest in a country." It is very important that they can design the product here for 450 million consumers. Their brand can be helpful in the surrounding countries where their goods are offered.

Referring to the importance of international relations of these companies in increasing the country's exports, he said: "International relations of these companies is also a very important factor." International companies have connections that can facilitate the production and trade process. For example, a company with 200 or 300 branches around the world imports raw materials from Iraq if it has problems in Iran and from Iraq if it has problems. Iran imports supply. They can also get funding from other countries.

The head of the Iran-Iran Joint Investment Association added: "Before Trump came to power, when the problem of sanctions was improving, there was not a day that investment did not enter the country, and the entry of foreign investors flourished, but after the tightening of sanctions. Moreover, due to the spread of the corona, the inflow of foreign investors was greatly reduced. Despite the facilities in Iran, foreigners do not enter the country for political reasons and sanctions, and the attraction of our foreign investment remains at $ 3 billion to $ 4 billion.

The economic activist added: "Turkey does not have gas, electricity and oil in our neighborhood, but it attracts 30 to 40 billion foreign investments annually, and today its exports without oil are $ 160 billion a year." We export $ 20 billion to $ 30 billion a year with petrochemicals. If our country's capabilities are far beyond that and we can export $ 100 billion worth of oil-free goods annually, but the need for technology, international communications and other issues is part of the foreign investment science package that everyone is trying to attract investment to grow rapidly. .

Emphasizing the impact of the FATF on this issue, Salimi said: "The importance of foreign investment is known to all, one of the things that creates a problem in this case is the problem of the FATF and bank transfers." In this situation, how can a foreign company bring money to Iran and make a profit? This is one of the problems in this route, so it enters another country.

He concluded: "Three issues are fundamental in attracting foreign investment: economic stability, political stability and the implementation of international law." The foreign investor examines these three principles and then enters. Why invest in a place where you can not make a profit? Sanctions and problems with the FATF are the biggest obstacles to attracting foreign investment.

* ILNA