Pellegrini: Car Industry and Mining among Spheres to Cooparate with Iran

Bratislava/Tehran, March 9 (TASR) – Engineering, mining, the automotive industry and research and development seem to be promising spheres for possible business on the Iranian market for Slovak companies, Deputy Prime Minister for Investments and Informatisation Peter Pellegrini said Thursday after returning from a multi-day trip to Tehran.

For example, Iran has a developed car industry that produces more than 1.4 million vehicles per year. “The network of suppliers [serving the car-producing sector] in Slovakia might be interested in cooperating with the Iranian automotive industry,” said Pellegrini.

Meanwhile, many companies in Iran still use equipment produced in erstwhile Czechoslovakia, so it could be relatively easy for Slovak firms to establish this cooperation, said Pellegrini.
At the same time, Slovakia could offer its expertise and technologies to the Iranian mining sector. For example, the Iranians took interest in a research project at the Technical University in Kosice that has been testing new technology for efficient and fast depth drilling, noted the vice-premier.

Pellegrini would also like to see a mission comprised of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) and representatives of universities and technological parks going to Iran.
“Cooperation needn’t always be only about specific business deals, but perhaps also about joint research projects. During the sanction regime, Iran wasn’t able to import many things, so it invested a lot of money into its own research and development. This could be an area of benefit for both countries,” said Pellegrini.

Apart from Slovaks’ trips to Iran, several visits from Iranian figures to Slovakia are also due to be organised, including one from the Iranian Industrial Development & Renovation Organisation (IDRO), while Pellegrini has also invited First Vice-president of Iran Eshaq Jahangiri to Slovakia.

“It’s going to be really intense in the next few months,” commented Pellegrini.