Фото: IRNA
Belarus may create an industrial hub in a free economic zone in southern Iran. Belarusian Ambassador to Iran Dzmitry Kaltsou visited the southern part of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, including the Makran petrochemical complex, as well as commercial, tourist, and transit facilities in Chabahar — Iran’s largest port with access to the Indian Ocean.
“The use of Iranian transport infrastructure, and in particular the strategically important port of Chabahar, opens up the possibility of exporting Belarusian products to Iran and third countries at a lower cost,” Dzmitry Kaltsou told IRNA.
According to him, Belarus is ready to expand cooperation in the production and assembly of various agricultural machinery, industrial equipment, and technologies, as well as in the creation of assembly facilities in the Chabahar FEZ.
Director General of the FEZ Mohammad Saeed Arbabi told the Iranian agency that a proposal has been made to allocate 100 hectares for Belarus to establish an industrial center.
“There is a proposal to allocate about 100 hectares of land for the creation of a specialized Belarusian industrial park. This park could become a site for assembling or producing agricultural machinery, dump trucks, trucks, buses, as well as processing or packaging potash fertilizers, and serve as an export base for Belarus,” Arbabi said.
He noted that one possible option for implementing the project is establishing an assembly plant for MTZ tractors, which could then be supplied to Pakistan and African countries. Arbabi emphasized that the FEZ offers favorable business conditions: 20-year tax exemptions, minimal import duties on raw materials and equipment, the possibility of re-export, and more.
“Belarus is a landlocked country, and its traditional export routes, especially through Baltic Sea ports, have faced restrictions in recent years. Chabahar is considered a safe, economical, and stable route for exporting Belarusian machinery, potash fertilizers, and industrial goods to southern markets, which corresponds to the country’s strategic needs,” he added.
Arbabi noted that the FEZ administration is also interested in attracting projects in other industries, including pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and more.
“Chabahar plays a key role because it is the only ocean port in the country, located at the intersection of the North–South corridor with southern markets. For Belarus, Chabahar means direct and diversified access to open waters, and for Iran — becoming a transit and production route for the Eurasian market and beyond.
Our goal is to turn Chabahar into the main base of Belarus’s presence in the south and one of the important Eurasian trade hubs with southern markets. If projects are implemented according to plan, Chabahar could become a successful example of geopolitical (geo-economic) cooperation between Iran and landlocked countries,” he explained.
The Chabahar FEZ covers an area of 82,000 hectares. In 2019, it was expanded to include the city of Chabahar itself, two ports, and a section on the border with Pakistan.