Turkey, Iran to set up free industrial zone: official

• Source: Xinhua
• [10:28 September 27 2009]
• Comments

Turkey's Industry and Trade Minister Nihat Ergun said Friday that Turkey and Iran planned to set up a free industrial zone at the border of the two countries, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

The zone was expected to cover eastern Turkey's Van and Igdir provinces, the latter also bordering Armenia and Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, a landlocked enclave of Azerbaijan, the agency reported, quoting Ergun.

The project was suggested by Iran and accepted by Turkey, said Ergun. The two started to consider the project last year and aimed to reach a conclusion on it by the end of this year, according to the agency.

Iran's rich energy, natural gas and natural resources could make a huge contribution to the project, Ergun said.

"We attach great importance to this project in order to make it the biggest and leading industrial and production hub in the Middle East," he was quoted as saying.

The minister said such a project could also create jobs for people in Armenia and Nakhchivan once relations between Turkey and Armenia as well as ties between Azerbaijan and Armenia are normalized.