“To survive in the global market we have to develop our capacities and this cannot be achieved overnight. Our nation should pay the cost for this transition phase.”

“Priority will be given to ‘pursuing the President Khatami’s policies’, ‘conformity with the Parliament’ and ‘paying attention to the concerns in the cultural domain’.”

“Investing in Iran is yet to become a simple decision. There has to be a more developed infrastructure, system network, Internet connectivity and transport facilities.”

“We have been working on plans to make Iran a gas exporter either via Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline or through LNG projects. The pipeline is technically feasible but there are some political matters to be solved.”

“For economic progress, we require the possibilities of today’s world and we have to prepare the necessary grounds for the safety and profitability of local and foreign investments.”

“Under President Khatami’s administration, the country’s economy and industry have both grown remarkably. Drawing on improved international relations, the Ministry of Mines & Metals has signed five steel contracts for the value of $700 million”

“In our mind, there is a natural linkage between Iran with its huge reserves, and India which is in a relatively short distance away in terms of shipping costs for LNG.”

“Only in four months, Qeshm has exported a worth of fuel four times more than the whole country’s exports and this figure will grow by six or seven times in a few months.”