Envoy describes Iran as Germany's major trade partner

 German Ambassador to Tehran Michael Freiherr von Ungern-Sternberg underlined that his country deems cooperation with Iran, specially in economic and trade areas, as very significant.
"Iran is an important partner for Germany and it can play a crucial role in the region in future and also play a more important role in different international issues, specially in the Middle East," the German envoy said, addressing a ceremony on the occasion of Germany's National Day at Ungern-Sternberg's residence in Tehran on Tuesday.
Ungern-Sternberg pointed to the ample potential existing in political, economic and cultural fields, and said, "The Tehran-Berlin relations have been expanded since last year and we hope these relations will be consolidated in the future."
The German ambassador described Iran as an influential regional power, and said, "Iran can play a greater role in international issues, specially in regional developments."
Meantime, he pointed to the ongoing Iran-Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, France and Britain plus Germany) negotiations, and said, "As the German foreign minister said after his meetings with Iranian president and foreign minister we have never been so close to achieving a final agreement over past 10 years."
Iran and Germany have tried to expand their bilateral relations in recent years through reciprocal visits by the two countries' officials.
In July, Head of the Trade Development Organization of Iran Valiollah Afkhami Rad said implementation of the Geneva nuclear deal sealed by Iran and the sextet of the world powers late in November has provided very good opportunity for the presence of international investors, specially the Europeans, in Iran.
"Now a few months after the arrival of the first European delegation in Tehran, the attractions of trade with Iran have placed the European states in a marathon competition for trade partnership with Tehran," Afkhami Rad said.
Many European countries, including France, Germany and the Netherlands, are planning to enhance their economic relations with Iran, a business powerhouse in the Middle-East region, as sanctions imposed against Tehran are partially suspended.
"Optimism is predominating that there has finally been something of a relaxation in political relations and therefore in business possibilities," Head of Trade Relations at the Association of German Chambers of Commerce Volker Treier said in January.
The association invited the representatives of German private sectors to hold a meeting over doing business in Iran and the interested representatives “filled the room very quickly”, Treier added.
Dutch ambassador to Iran Jos Douma held a similar meeting in the Netherlands in January to discuss the terms of cooperation between Tehran and the Dutch companies which are eager to return to the Iranian market.