MNA � Speaking in the meeting of Free Trade-Industrial Zones, held on yesterday, 1st VP Es'hagh Jahangiri termed the report submitted by the secretary of the Council on the four-year performance of the Secretariat of Higher Council as �hopeful and positive� and said, �the Council will accelerate its activity more vigorously.�


Fee zones enjoy various salient exemptions and advantages and if these specifications are used properly, these zones can be turned into a hub for the promotion of exports and attraction of investment in the country, he maintained.

Planning to set up branches of foreign banks and also launching international stock market in free zones is a positive step for the promotion of these areas, he said, adding, �with the coordination made in this regard, foreign exchange quota of goods import for retail-selling purposes will be implemented.�

Effective steps have been taken in the field of setting up customs office in Arvand and Aras free zones, Jaahangiri observed.

He called on the senior officials at the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) and Secretariat of Higher Council of Special Economic and Industrial-Trade Free Zones to follow up the case for launching customs offices in these zones.

The meeting also was attended by the ministers of Economic Affairs and Finance (MAEF), Industry, Mine and Trade, Roads and Urban Development, Foreign Affairs, head of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization, in which, four-year performance of the Secretariat of Supreme Council of the Free Zone was evaluated meticulously.