TEHRAN - German Ambassador to Iran Hans-Udo Muzel said on Sunday that his country is interested in the expansion of economic ties with Iran in various areas, the portal of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) reported.

Speaking in a meeting with Head of Iran Small Industries and Industrial Parks Organization (ISIPO) Ali Rasoulian for extending a previously signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) on economic cooperation, Muzel said: “I believe that the two countries should cooperate not only in the political and macro sectors, but also in operational fields, and Iran Small Industries and Industrial Parks Organization is a key organization for such cooperation.”

Germany has one of the largest joint chambers of commerce with 1,800 active members in Iran and this shows the depth of economic cooperation between the two countries in various industries, he stressed.

Expressing hope that the existing challenges will be resolved and that good results will be achieved in the Vienna talks, the official continued: "An agreement is expected to be reached in the very near future, and because opportunities are very limited, we should be ready to conclude business cooperation processes as soon as possible."

Muzel further stressed the need to prepare for the formation of a new business environment between the two countries, and said: "It does not matter what governments do; We want to act with strong faith and with the intention of creating opportunities from challenges.”

He mentioned Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) as a prominent feature and the backbone of the German economy and added: "In other European countries, small and medium enterprises are also considered important, while in France there is an SME association that covers the field of services, but in Iran and Germany the activities are more focused on the industry.”

“There are many fields of industrial production in Iran and in this respect, it is very different from the other Persian Gulf countries; Because they are more active in the logistics and finance sectors, but are weak in the manufacturing sector,” he added.

Further in the meeting, Rasoulian, for his part, mentioned the history of cooperation between his organization and various German entities and said: “Over the past five years, in addition to working with the German Ministry of Economy and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), ISIPO has also signed memorandums of understanding with the Leipzig University and the German Association of Small and Medium-sized Businesses.”

Referring to the positive contribution of the German government in the technology transfer and industrial development of the Islamic Republic, Rasoulian expressed the willingness of Iranian small and medium-sized enterprises to cooperate with German counterparts.

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Photo: ISIPO Head Ali Rasoulian (L) and German Ambassador to Tehran Hans-Udo Muzel exchange renewed MOU documents in Tehran on Sunday