TIRANA, April 25 – Albania and Iran are mulling opportunities to increase current modest trade and investment ties despite sharp differences over Iranian opposition group known as Mujahedin e Khalq (MEK) whom Albania has offered accommodation under a deal with the United States but Iran considers a terrorist group.
Speaking at an Albania-Iran business forum held in Tirana this week, Gholam Hossein Shafei, the head of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce confirmed Iranian interest to invest in Albania’s health and oil sector as well as hydropower.
“Albania is the only country in the region that is a member of the Islamic Conference and has Muslim population, establishing religious links between the two countries. Considering Albania’s geographical position and development in the past few years, we consider that an opportunity not only for the bilateral ties, but also a linking bridge for the development of relations with regional and European countries,” Gholam Hossein Shafei told a local Albanian TV.
According to him, current trade exchanges at about $2 million a year are quite modest and the potential is for at least 10 times more.
Iran is one of the world’s largest oil producers, but current modest trade exchanges rely almost entirely on dried fruit.
Ines Muà§ostepa, the head of Albania’s Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said the Albanian government is already taking measures to facilitate trade and investment ties with Iran.
“Key state institutions are already taking measures to complete the legal framework to give an impetus to economic and trade ties. The agreement on the promotion and protection of investment and the deal on the abolition of double taxation is being negotiated. By the time they are adopted, all these elements will be helpful to our enterprises,” said Muà§ostepa.
Iran’s state-run news agency, IRNA, said the delegation of Iran’s chamber of commerce also held talks with Albanian foreign ministry officials to open up a new chapter of bilateral ties.
The 2017 visit of Albania’s foreign minister to Iran indicated the intention of Tirana to develop economic ties with Iran, Albania’s deputy foreign minister for economic affairs Etjen Xhafaj was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Relations between Albania and Iran date back to the 19th and 20th century when several Albanian Renaissance poets where inspired by Persian culture and Bektashism, an ultra-liberal mystical Muslim sect with roots in Sufism and Shia Islam that is also present in Albania, to promote Albanian independence.
Iran is represented in Albania with its own embassy while the Saadi Shirazi cultural foundation has been present in Albania since the early 1990s promoting ties between Albania and Iran.
Relations between Albania and Iran in the past few years have been strained by Albania’s willingness to accept providing shelter to Iranian opposition group known as Mujahedin e Khalq (MEK), which had been on the list of terrorist organizations for several years by the United States until it was finally removed from the list in 2012.
More than 3,000 mujahedeen, whom Iran considers terrorists, have been offered shelter in Albania.
