According to the Public Relations and International Affairs Department of Kish Free Zone Organization, speaking through a video conference on the opening ceremony of 11 national projects on Kish, the President appreciated the preventive and diligent efforts of Kish Free Zone Organization, pointing out that since the beginning of the government of prudence and hope in 2013, the emphasis of the government has always been on promoting exports as well as attracting domestic and international tourists the president added:" Providing services by free zones can play an important role in solving problems such as banking, insurance, and warehousing during economic sanctions."

Referring to the fact that in the past the activities of the free zones of the country were tourism and trade-oriented, Rouhani said: In the factories that are being opened today, over 320 production and industrial centers in the field of production will export their products.

He pointed out that according to the statistics announced in the free and special economic zones of the country for six years, we had over 134 billion dollars international exports, and also over 34 billion toman domestic exports, and the conditions for investment in free zones have been provided.

Emphasizing that the Supreme Leader reiterated the role of the three powers in removing production barriers during the government week, Hassan Rouhani added: "Managers of all free zones should provide the necessary facilities, including land and other facilities for investment in this region." Barriers to production based on the slogan of the year of the Supreme Leader; Named "Production Leap," is removed.

The President stated: "During sanctions, we have no choice but to activate the country's economic capital, and the large and vast country of Islamic Iran has enormous resources, a diverse climate and investment opportunities, all governors and managers of free zones and special zones are ready to attract capital and turn domestic capital into goods or services by prioritizing domestic capital.

Hassan Rouhani stated that the hotel that was opened today on Kish Island has been prepared with a total of 17,000 beds to provide services to tourists and travelers. Of course, after the corona pandemic, Kish Free Zone will have even more capacity to attract tourists.

For his part, the CEO and Chairman of the Kish Free Zone Organization, Dr. Gholam Hossein Muzaffari, said: Despite the difficult conditions imposed on the country, intensive activities are taking place on Kish Island, where the volume of investments increased by 188% in 2019 compared to 2018.

He added, "This increase continued during the past five months of the year, and projects worth 30 billion toman are currently being implemented on Kish Island."

He also said: "Today, 11 projects with a value of more than 20 billion riyal will be opened, which will create 1,068 job opportunities." In addition, the five-star Panorama Hotel will be opened and operated, with 60 rooms and 700 beds, with an investment of 500 billion toman.

Mozaffari announced the opening of Kish Innovation Center with an area of more than 8,500 square meters, with the cooperation and assistance of the Vice President for Science and Technology to establish more than 100 knowledge companies in this center.

"To strengthen the communication infrastructure and improve the quality of communication services for Kish Island residents, the optical fiber project supporting Kish will be operational with a length of 32 km as well as more than 100 km of optical fiber using the BOT method on Kish Island." He added:

He continued: "Perhaps many see Kish Island as just a tourist island, but fortunately, I must say that 327 industrial units are operating in this free zone. I am proud to say that since the beginning of 2019, 28 closed industrial units have restarted their activities, and today two new industrial units in the field of production of air-conditioning systems and furniture manufacturing, worth 220 billion toman, will be launched."

The CEO added: "In the field of housing, according to national standards and the international level, we are witnessing the construction of outstanding residential buildings on Kish Island, where three large complexes with investments of more than 870 billion toman will be opened today".

In conclusion, Mozaffari pointed out that Kish Island is one of the main support centers in the field of oil and gas platforms, and for this purpose, the Heliport Airport site) will be launched on Kish Island.

PR & Int'l Affairs Department- KFZO