According to Tasnim news agency from Mashhad, Hossein Mohammadian, a member of the board of representatives of the Khorasan Razavi Chamber of Commerce and the secretary of the panel on provincial economic cooperation, commercial, investment and free zones, at the conclusion of the second regional meeting of provincial diplomacy in the northeast of the country, discussed the achievements and the summary of the events in the panel on provincial economic cooperation, commercial, investment and free zones, the problems and solutions for the development of commercial relations.
He added: The eastern border regions of the country, especially Khorasan Razavi, North and South provinces, as the eastern commercial gateways of the country, play a key role in relations with the countries of Central Asia, Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, problems such as customs barriers, transit restrictions and weak border infrastructure have slowed trade and goods transit.
Strengthening economic cooperation centered on the provinces
Referring to executive proposals in this regard, Mohammadian stated: Modernization of border customs in different areas, including Dogharon, Sarkhs, Milk, and Mahirod, and other border customs to increase transit capacity should be put on the agenda. Also, concluding border memoranda and agreeing on preferential tariffs with neighboring countries, especially Pakistan and Afghanistan, are among the measures that should be continued.
Mohammadian continued: The development of rail, road and air transportation infrastructures between the border provinces and the increase of provincial powers to remove obstacles to domestic and foreign investment were other priorities proposed in this meeting. The establishment of international joint investment mechanisms and the provision of tax incentives and facilities for border investors, as well as the active role of Iranian embassies in supporting businessmen and economic activists, were also discussed in this regard.
He pointed to the issue of investment and development of border areas in the east of the country and said: Free and special border economic zones, especially in two laws, have a high capacity to attract foreign investment. These capacities must be used properly. For this purpose, it is necessary to change the description of the duties of commercial and economic affiliates so that in addition to marketing and investment attraction, they have more responsibilities in the field of introducing investment opportunities.
The Secretary of the Panel for Provincial Economic Cooperation, Trade, Investment and Free Zones emphasized: In order to facilitate the process of attracting foreign capital, it is suggested that new guidelines be set for setting up representative offices of foreign investment attracting agencies in the target countries. This action can be effective in expanding communication and attracting foreign investors. ️
He also emphasized the importance of reforming the system of foreign exchange obligations and solving the problems caused by customs tariffs in countries such as Afghanistan and India and added: the problems related to the system of foreign exchange obligations and customs tariffs should be reviewed and export laws should be implemented effectively to increase the motivation of exporters.
Referring to the role of the private sector in attracting foreign investment, Mohammadian said: The private sector can help guide investors to the country and attract foreign investments with more motivation than the public sector. In this regard, reforming executive systems and strengthening communication between different institutions can be helpful.
Creating a platform for new and knowledge-based technologies in business
Seyed Hasan Hashemi, Vice-Chairman of the Knowledge-Based Businesses and Digital Economy Commission of the Khorasan Razavi Chamber of Commerce, also in the conclusion of the panel “Linking the national and regional economy through the path of modern and knowledge-based technologies”, referring to the output of expert work based on the participation of academic, government, private elites and business activists, stated: The result of this synergy is the development of a comprehensive package to connect the national economy to the regional economy network through the development of technologies. New and knowledge-based mechanisms.
He said: Creating clusters of data centers in Razavi Khorasan, providing cloud services, expanding artificial intelligence platforms and attracting joint investment from Russia, China, Uzbekistan and India will stabilize the position of this province as a data hub in the east of the country.
The Secretary of the Neighborhood Policy, Development of Transport, Transit, Customs and Energy Infrastructure Panel further said: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should, in cooperation with various institutions, develop a unified national strategy for the unilateral decisions and actions of neighboring countries so that coordination and coherent responses are adopted in the face of border and transit restrictions. ️
Regarding the establishment of provincial headquarters, he also said: It is suggested that the National Transit Headquarters of the Ministry of Interior establish a provincial headquarters headed by the governor and the secretary of the provincial chamber of commerce so that local approvals and obstacles can be identified and followed up. ️
Revival of the neighborhood policy in the transport, transit and customs sector
Referring to the importance of transit as an economic potential of the country, Mahmoud Emti, the secretary of the panel, said: Transit can save the country from economic deadlocks, and its security and political aspects should also be taken into consideration. In this meeting, in six different axes, problems and challenges were identified and implementation suggestions were summarized. He further pointed out the most important suggestions raised in this meeting and added: The first suggestion is that in order to focus decision-making and promote coordination in the border areas, the National Transit Headquarters under the presidency of the President should issue executive instructions for the management of the border unit so that the necessary powers are delegated to the relevant institutions. ️
Emeti also pointed to the delegation of authority to provincial managers in the field of customs, highways and other related institutions and stated: In order to speed up transit processes, the authority to issue licenses and monitor quarantine and standard processes should be delegated to border provincial managers in order to avoid centralized and time-consuming decisions.
Emeti also pointed out the need to introduce transit and transportation coordinators in the embassies and consulates of neighboring countries and added: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, and Trade Development Organization should organize and follow up joint transit and transportation commissions on a quarterly basis. ️
He continued: “Also, a system for daily communication between embassies, customs, highways, and chambers of commerce should be set up so that information can be exchanged instantaneously and without interruption.”
Emeti pointed to the optimization of the layout and operational processes of the border terminals and said: a plan to optimize the inputs and processes of the border terminals should be developed within four months and submitted to the National Transit Headquarters in order to solve the existing problems in this field. ️
He also emphasized the need to develop infrastructure and improve the routes leading to the border terminals and added: the Ministry of Roads and the Road Administration must improve the transit routes and fix the accident-prone points so that the flow of road transit becomes smoother.
The secretary of the neighborhood policy panel, development of transport infrastructure, transit, customs and energy also said about the need to strengthen digital communications in the field of transit and customs: Iranian customs and the Ministry of Communications should connect different systems online and create a support network for internet outages. ️
He proposed the formation of the Supreme Council for the Export of Technical and Engineering Services with special attention to Afghanistan and Central Asian countries and said: This council should be formed in order to strengthen economic and commercial relations with these countries in order to create more opportunities for bilateral cooperation. ️
Emeti added: In order to avoid wasting time and increase transparency in border processes, it is necessary to strengthen field supervision and strengthen executive mechanisms with the participation of various institutions. One of the key things that should be pursued is the support of technical engineering service companies to provide fuel for cross-border projects in neighboring countries.
He also pointed to the creation of “border posts with the possibility of supplying fuel to foreign fleets” with a clear price and quick supply and said: this action should be carried out with a specific monitoring process and under the management of the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company in order to avoid any implementation problems and possible violations. ️
Ameti added: The Chamber of Commerce of the provinces can play an effective role in the advisory council of the border transportation department, which is formed with the participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Customs and other related institutions. This council should continuously follow up on executive and operational issues.
In another part of his speech, the Secretary of the Neighborhood Policy, Development of Transportation, Transit, Customs and Energy Panel suggested increasing the working hours of customs and borders on Fridays and without limiting the amount of goods accepted and stated: This action can prevent possible delays in the border routes and facilitate the transit process.
He also pointed to the creation of a border crossing and a joint free trade zone between Iran and Turkmenistan on the border of North Khorasan and said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should plan to create this free zone and facilitate economic relations with the cooperation of neighboring countries and using the capacity of the joint border of North Khorasan.
Emti pointed out the need to provide “a specific budget line to accelerate the completion of the Chabahar-Birjand-Sarkhs railway project” and added: “This project is of particular importance and the necessary financial resources for its completion should be put on the agenda in order to improve the transit infrastructure in the eastern border areas of the country.”
Pilgrimage and health tourism are an important part of provincial diplomacy
️ Mozhgan Thabit Timuri, head of the Tourism and Handicrafts Commission of the Khorasan Razavi Chamber of Commerce, in the conclusion of the “Tourism, Pilgrimage and Health Diplomacy” panel at the second regional meeting of the provincial diplomacy of the North-East of the country, explained the comprehensive package for the development of health tourism and pilgrimage cooperation and emphasized the need to hand over executive affairs to the private sector.
Hashemi called the first axis of this package “data development and regional common infrastructure” and added: the creation of clusters of data centers in Razavi Khorasan with the aim of hosting and processing the region’s data, providing cloud services and developing artificial intelligence platforms, building and supplying technological services for the countries of the region, establishing the province’s position as a data hub in the east of the country, and attracting joint investment from countries such as Russia, China, Uzbekistan and India are among the announced priorities. In this direction, it is necessary to delegate authority to the governors to establish data centers and benefit from the incentives of virtual free zones, along with the issuance of international cooperation permits by embassies.
The secretary of the national and regional economy link panel called the second axis “the creation of a virtual free zone in Greater Khorasan” and said: this virtual free zone aims to facilitate innovative activities, register technology companies, issue legal licenses for digital economy activities and international businesses, and it will be a new model of smart governance in the digital space. In order to realize it, an additional note to the law should be approved to facilitate the establishment of this area. Also, the creation of “sandboxes” of virtual free zones under the supervision of governors, as a pilot in three selected areas of digital technology, smart equipment and new energies, is on the agenda, and the cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international institutions is necessary for the official invitation of technological and economic delegations.
He pointed to the third axis, namely “Technological cooperation network and regional common standards” and added: holding the annual exhibition of technology and digital transformation in Mashhad with the presence of Central Asian countries and playing the role of Khorasan Razavi in establishing a system of mutual acceptance of standards and quality tests will provide the basis for reducing the costs of issuing technical certificates and facilitating the export of knowledge-based products. The formation of joint standard committees chaired by governors, and the suggestion of coordination with the target countries for the mutual acceptance of technical certificates, are also part of the strategic proposals of this package.
Hashemi named the support of technological exports as the fourth axis of this program and said: designing a comprehensive program to establish commercial offices, logistics facilities, export guarantees and a clearing market for technological goods and services, including software, equipment, technical and small-scale engineering services, will help reduce dependence on oil exports. Launching the official clearing trade platform with regional countries, developing bilateral financial channels and using authorized cryptocurrency platforms under supervision, along with the cooperation of Iranian embassies and economic advisers, can stabilize the connection of the provincial technological economy with target markets such as Central Asia, India, Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Afghanistan.
In the end, he considered cooperation with international organizations such as the United Nations and UNIDO to be one of the strategic axes and stated: defining the framework of cooperation between the province and these organizations to promote the export capacity of knowledge-based companies, consulting on standardization, expanding target markets, signing joint memorandums with the powers delegated to governors and coordinating with the Ministry of Security to allocate budgets and export facilities, can enhance the role of Khorasan Razavi in economic diplomacy. and stabilize and strengthen regional technology. ️
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منبع:تسنیم
