TEHRAN – Es’haq Jahangiri, Iran’s first vice-president, said on Monday that the private sector must be the base of the country’s economy, the portal of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) reported.

Speaking in a meeting with the ICCIMA board of directors, Jahangiri emphasized that the government is making serious efforts to support the private sector, adding: "I believe that the private sector should be literally the axis of the country's economy, and the government is trying to empower the private sector.”

Stressing the important role of the private sector in the country’s economic growth, the official noted that the private sector should also cooperate with the government in its efforts to provide the country’s foreign currency needs.

Emphasizing the importance of ICCIMA as the connecting link between the country's private sector and the government, the first vice president said: “The chamber of commerce represents the country's private sector, and we expect you to hold talks with various government bodies and provide them with operational solutions to solve the problems that the country's exporters, importers, and producers are facing.”

He further called on the ICCIMA board of directors to explore solutions for the currency problems of the country’s exporters and importers, in their meetings with the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) officials, and to take necessary measures to remove the obstacles ahead.

In the meeting, representatives of the private sector also underlined the exporters’ concerns and problems and offered solutions to address them.

Jahangiri had earlier said: “The government needs private sector for progress and development in the country.”

He said that the government fully supports the private sector, saying “The government should place even more importance on the country’s private sector which is the major driving force behind the economy.”

EF/MA