MNA– Iranian Industry Minister Shariatmadari has reported on absorbing of foreign investment worth two billion dollars for the country’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

Mohammad Shariatmadari, Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade of Iran, said his ministry requires an annual recruitment of at least $ 54 billion in foreign investment in order to realize the envisaged economic growth of eight per cent.

“On the basis of international statistics for the year 2016, growth in Iran’s foreign investment was close to 64 percent; however, to achieve the goals stipulated in the Sixth Five-Year Economic, Cultural, and Social Development Plan for 2016 – 2021, there still exists a need for extraordinary advancements, both domestically and internationally,” he stated.

The official noted that “over the first 100 days after the incumbent government took office, Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade managed to attract more than two billion dollars of foreign investment resources for 37 projects in the country’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).”

Shariatmadari said the amount of foreign investment attracted indicates that in the post-JCPOA era, despite all the pressure from the US, various countries have maintained their interest in investing in Iran.

At the end of his remarks, the Iranian industry minister called for facilitation of rules and regulations for attraction of foreign resources.