In his meeting with the Lenita Toivakka, the Finnish Minister of Foreign Trade and Development, Dr. Vaezi emphasized on the importance of communication sector cooperation in the economic relations of the two countries, stating that: “Iran wishes for expansion of bilateral relations with Finland.”
According to Public Relation Center of ICT Ministry, Dr. Vaezi referred to the history of cooperation between Iranian and Finnish private companies in his meeting with the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development of Finland, and commented that: “Iran and Finland enjoy a long history of bilateral relations, a relationship which has further expanded in the recent months; and presently this visit can be considered a new economic approach in the relationship of the two countries.”
Dr. Vaezi mentioned the nuclear negotiations and the subsequent results, explaining that: “The last phase of these negotiations will reach the final decision-making stage, and three weeks after that, all economic sanctions will be removed; in spite of all this, the current negotiations between Iran and Finland should be carried out in such a manner that after the sanctions period, both country shall have a lot to say in various sectors, especially in ICT.”
The Communication Minister pointed out that: “Both countries have a very high potential in regard to interactions in the communication field which is deeply rooted in their long relationship, but the sanctions forced Finnish corporations to cease their cooperation and leave the Iranian market to their competitors; but today we are facing a new opportunity to open a new chapter of close relations between our respective nations.”
Dr. Vaezi referred to well-known Finnish companies with a history of cooperating with Iran, stating that: “Nokia is a household name in our country with a very long history of working and cooperating with Iran and today, through collaborations between Nokia and the French Alcatel company, we can also elevate our communication activities with the arrival of this reputable companies in Iran.”
Describing that the communication field in Iran has managed to progress extensively, he included that: “We have many programs for the field of ICT in Iran and we can invite credible Finnish companies to participate in various projects of this sector in our country.”
Vaezi further elaborated that: “I should mention that there are other companies beside Nokia which can have a strong presence in Iran; the method of cooperation between Iran and Finland must be through a collaborative and participatory approach, so that we can have a successful long-term cooperation with each other.”
He further emphasized that: “In addition to attracting investment, we should also support and welcome the arrival of new technologies to our country; and we should also continue our bilateral collaborations with Finland in the area of research and development.”
During this meeting, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development of Finland also referred to the limited capacity of the existing relationship between two countries, saying that: “We expect that after this visit the cooperation between Iran and Finland can finally take off.”
Lenita Toivakka also stated that: “We hope that, by the implementation of Iran’s nuclear agreement, favorable opportunities will emerge for further development of relations.”