BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 26. Iran has created tax incentives and other opportunities in its free trade zones to encourage investment from member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), said Reza Masrour, secretary of the Iranian Free Zones High Council, Trend reports.
Speaking at a forum on enhancing international understanding and exchange between Iran’s free trade zones and CIS countries, Masrour noted that forums and meetings like this help neighboring countries, especially CIS members, gain closer insight into the potential of Iran’s free trade zones.
He highlighted key zones, including Araz, Maku, Anzali, Urmia, and Mazandaran. He added that one of the current Iranian government’s (in power since August 2024) main priorities is to strengthen cooperation with neighboring states.
The secretary stressed that every CIS member state holds trade potential capable of attracting significant attention and added that Iran is eager for ambassadors to showcase these opportunities and for the heads of its free trade zones to turn them into concrete, actionable proposals.
“Iran has significant potential to expand trade with countries such as Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan. Its free trade zones can take effective steps in this direction within the framework of existing legal opportunities,” Masrour said.
He also emphasized that for CIS countries without direct access to international waters, Iran’s free trade zones could play a crucial role in transit, cargo transport, and product swapping. The Iranian side is keen to see these potentials identified by ambassadors and translated into concrete proposals by free trade zone authorities.
Currently, Iran operates 18 free trade zones and 48 special economic zones, with plans to expand the number of special economic zones to 79.
Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel