HE Hamid Baeidinejad Iranian Ambassador to the UK

BICC Member's Meeting

A Talk by HE Hamid Baeidinejad

Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Kingdom

Held at The British-Iranian Chamber of Commerce, 17th February, 2017

On 17 February, the Chamber of Commerce was delighted to welcome HE Hamid Baeidinejad , Iran’s Ambassador to the UK , to address members. The Ambassador began with a review of Iran’s history, its unique national identity and language. He went on to comment on the economic, cultural and scientific contributions made by the expatriate Iranian community all over the world.

The Ambassador, who was one of Iran’s core team negotiating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, said that he was pleased that a political solution to the outstanding question of Iran’s nuclear programme had been reached, but regretted that not all restrictions on trade had been removed. In terms of the Iranian economy, Ambassador Baeidinejad noted that when the current government in Iran came to power, Inflation was running at 46% and growth had slipped to -4%. At the time of speaking, the situation had improved significantly so that Inflation had dropped to 8% and growth had reached 6%. The improved economic situation had been reflected in foreign direct investment which had reached $10 billion in the last year alone.

Ambassador Baeidinejad observed that many British companies are keen to trade with Iran and commented on the will of the British government to promote that trade and to resolve the banking issues which remained the single biggest blockage. A number of British companies had already made progress in establishing commercial links to Iran and even in striking deals. BP had set up an office in Tehran and Vodafone had entered into a contract with an Iranian telecoms partner. Rolls Royce would benefit from the major Airbus deal and had further opportunities in upgrading engines in Iran’s existing air fleet. Major opportunities – including for financing – exist in oil and gas , civil aviation, railway construction , tourism and other fields. The ambassador singled out the major agreement between Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran to establish a rail corridor between Russia and Char Bahar Port, effectively linking Northern Europe with the Indian Ocean and felt there would be major financing opportunities in connection with that project.

The Ambassador was thanked by Lord Lamont for his wide ranging observations.

The content of this talk does not necessarily express the views of The British Iranian Chamber of Commerce. The views and opinions expressed are those of the speaker.