Grounds created for Iran’s effective role in Silk Road

Grounds have been created for Iran to play an effective role in China’s Silk Road initiative, said an expert on foreign affairs.

Bahram Amir Ahmadian further told IRNA that Iran should adopt the policy of attracting investments and creating jobs.

China seeks to continue developing ties with Asia and Europe via the Silk Road, if the US and its allies creates obstacle and limitations on China’s energy and raw material imports and its export of goods, he said.

In China’s new initiative ‘One Belt, One Road’, a branch of the ancient road from China runs through Central Asia and then into Iran and goes to the northwest, to Turkey and Europe with Iran being the connecting point for Europe, Asia and China, he pointed out.

If Iran can play a role in this respect, some of the goods destined for Europe from China will enter Iran in the form of semi-finished products, the expert added.

China takes advantage of human resources, energy and talents in Iran to produce some of the goods in the country, he said, adding that this process and exports will create employment in the industrial sector particularly in the processing industry.

Thanks to Iran’s skilled and educated manpower, conditions have been created for this, he noted.

Citing Iran’s energy resources as well as its road, air and sea transportation networks, he said the country is ideal for the purpose.

Amir Ahmadian said that Iran is a big country and a regional power. China seeks to increase its influence in Asia, he said adding that Iran should take advantage of this opportunity for interaction with China if the latter meets its interests.