Secretary of Iran's Supreme Council of Free and Special Economic Zones said a north-south trade corridor will be established among Anzali, Qeshm and Chabahar by using capacities of the free zones.
Speaking to reporters during a visit by the head of the UAE Jebel Ali Free Zone, Akbar Torkan further remarked that Qeshm and Chabahar are Iran's southern gateways for trade and the establishment of the corridor can create added capacities for the free zones, IRNA reported on Thursday.
He said that during his recent visit to the UAE, he had invited the Head of Jebel Ali Free Zone Ahmad bin Sulayem to visit Iran to develop interactions and cooperation and "with the acceptance of this invitation, today we are witnessing the evaluation of the capacities of Iranian free zones for expanding cooperation".
Torkan noted that Sulayem paid an inspection tour of Anzali Free Zone to study the expansion of maritime cooperation with Russia and Kazakhstan.
He also referred to the cooperation of UAE investors in building and developing ports in Iran's free zones and hoped that the inspection tours will lead to the development of economic relations and signing of agreements.
A UAE economic team paid a three-day visit to Iran to become acquainted with the capacities of the free zones for investments of about $500 million to $1 billion.
Head of the DP World Company of the UAE and its British directors have also inspected port and economic capacities of Anzali and Chabahar free zones.
The visit took place upon Torkan's invitation.
The UAE DP World is in charge of managing 65 major world ports as well as 11 free zones in Europe and Asia, including Jebel Ali of the United Arab Emirates
.