TEHRAN – Iran’s Transport and Urban Development Ministry has signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Public Works and Housing based on which Iranian companies are going to construct over 30,000 housing units in the neighboring country.

According to Iran’s Deputy Transport and Urban Development Minister Mahmoud Mahmoudzadeh, based on the mentioned agreement, three state-owned from the two countries will make the necessary arrangements for the presence of qualified Iranian companies in the fields of construction, infrastructure, transport, and roads, as well as consulting and engineering, in Syria.

Speaking in the opening ceremony of the Build and Property Show 2020 in Tehran, Mahmudzadeh noted that Iran is not going to make any investment in the mentioned projects and all the funding will be provided by the Syrian side.

Back in November 2019, Syrian Minister of Public Works and Housing Suhail Mohammad Abdullatif had said that his country puts the top priority on Iranian companies for implementing reconstruction projects in Syria.

Making the remarks during an Iran-Syria business forum held at the place of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) in Tehran on November 26, Abdullatif said the Syrian government would offer all necessary facilities to Iranian companies for cooperation in the reconstruction of Syria so that these companies will enjoy investment opportunities in his country.

He said the agreement signed during the first meeting of Iran-Syria Joint Trade Committee includes the establishment of Iranian-Syrian joint companies that can do activity in all provinces of Syria.

“We can use Syrian state-run companies to this end”, the minister said, adding that the joint companies can take the projects directly without taking part in any tender.

Iran and Syria have been taking major steps for the expansion of their mutual trade ties. The two sides have exchanged numerous trade delegations in the past few months and Iranian private companies are investing in various fields of the Syrian economy like providing construction materials especially cement and working on several reconstruction projects.

EF/