Löfven will hold talks with Iranian officials over trade relations, bilateral cooperation and regional development, Mehr News Agency reported.

The delegation is comprised of representatives of a number of Swedish public companies and agencies.

Sweden’s Minister of EU Affairs and Trade Ann Linde will accompany Löfven on the trip to Iran.

Iran has long been one of the most important markets for Swedish exports in the Middle East. A number of Swedish companies are now active in Iran.

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Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholamhossein Shafei and Swedish Ambassador to Tehran Helena Sångeland met and discussed development of economic relations as well as removal of barriers to mutual cooperation between Iranian and Swedish economic activists.

Sahfei, while recalling that the two sides began official relations in 1920, said, despite the long distance, Iran and Sweden enjoy age-old and excellent economic and political relations as Volvo and Scania companies have always provided service to Iranians.

He pointed to presence of Swedish delegations in Iran following JCPOA implementation saying “over years, Iranian traders have had good relations with Swedish counterparts and both sides are required to join hands to resolve existing banking and insurance issues.

The official voiced satisfaction towards holding a new round of Joint Commission meeting following a long hiatus; “ICCIMA, as a private sector department, will offer necessary support for reinvigoration of bilateral economic ties.”

Sahfei called for alleviation of banking and monetary restrictions expressing hope that the measure will bolster trade turnover between the two countries.

Helena Sångeland, for her part, referred to long history of economic and political relations between the two countries stressing that Swedish brands are reliable as companies like Scania carried on activities even during sanction years.

She further announced the upcoming visit of her country’s prime minister to Tehran in February saying “Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Löfven makes foreign trips only twice a year and one trip for 2017 will be devoted to Iran indicating the importance of bilateral ties with Tehran.”

The Swedish envoy expressed happiness towards emergence of new opportunities between the two countries following the nuclear deal adding “a number of delegations have been exchanged between the two sides over the past year the most significant of which was the visit to Iranian FM Zarif to Stockholm.”

The official, while recalling the visits of several Swedish ministers and officials to Iran, emphasized the need to exploit new opportunities; “reopening of Sweden’s economic center in Tehran would give way to presence of small and medium businesses for investment and joint venture.”

Sångeland went on to call for immediate removal of banking barriers though Swedish banks and firms would continue their activities in Iran regardless of existing obstacles.

“A proper mechanism exists in the Sweden’s Embassy in Tehran through which Iranians can obtain commercial visas,” highlighted the official while maintaining that certain issues still cause delays in the process.

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Nahavandian made the proposal to the Swedish Minister of Finance Magdalena Andersson and the Minister of EU Affairs and Trade Ann Linde in separating meetings in Stockholm on Saturday, Fars News Agency reported.

During the meetings, Nahavandian underlined the need to accelerate the trend of promoting Tehran-Stockholm relations through a comprehensive program.

He said the two countries should finalize the banking talks at the earliest to facilitate economic exchanges.

The Iranian government, he said, is resolved to attract optimum foreign investment.

For her part, Linde said that her country has planned for promoting economic relations with Iran.

Andersson also said in her meeting with Nahavandian that Stockholm attaches great importance to ties with Tehran.

Andersson further stressed that Sweden and Iran should resume cooperation as Tehran was once Sweden’s biggest trade partner before the sanctions’ era.

In relevant remarks in early June, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom in a meeting with her Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Stockholm called for the expansion of relations between the two countries.

“There is a need for enhanced cooperation between Iran and Sweden under present conditions,” Wallstrom said.

The Swedish foreign minister reiterated that following the nuclear agreement between Iran the six world powers (the US, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany) in July 2015, the time is ripe for Iran and Sweden to expand all-out relations.

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A number of agreements are expected to be signed during Prime Minister Lofven’s visit to Iran, Swedish Deputy Foreign Minister Annika Soder said at a meeting with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi in Tehran on Monday, Tasnim News Agency reported.

She also voiced Sweden’s readiness to boost trade ties with Iran and explore avenues for investment in the populous Middle East country.

Takht Ravanchi said the Swedish PM’s visit to Iran can help promote the ties between Tehran and Stockholm.

He also described banking interaction as the key to expansion of relations between the two countries.

Heading a diplomatic delegation, Soder held a separate meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday.

They weighed plans for closer economic and political ties between Tehran and Stockholm, and also discussed banking interaction, Iran-EU relations, regional issues – including the crisis in Syria- and ways to fight narcotics trafficking.

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Seyyed Taghi Nourbakhsh, the CEO and Managing Director of the Social Security Organization of Iran who is visiting Swdish capital city of Stockholm held several meetings with local officials like Gabriel Wikström, the Swedish Minister for Public Health, Healthcare and Sports, and Annika Strandhäll, Swedish the Minister for Social Security.

During the meetings, the Iranian delegation briefed the Swedish on the organization and services of Social Security Organization of Iran and heard about the health system in Sweden to exchange ideas for future expansion of cooperation.

The Iranian officials also held meetings with the officials of the Swecare Foundation and Swedish National Export Credits Guarantee Board.

The two sides exchanged the experiences of electronic prescription and the ways to convey the expertise acquired by the Swedish as the system is 12 years old in Sweden.

Also the representatives of the Swedish National Export Credits Guarantee Board said that they have been recently in Iran to weigh the risk of economic cooperation with Tehran and they have found that the risk of cooperation with Tehran is so lower than before and it facilitates trade and finance cooperation between the two countries.

After the Iranian delegation headed by Dr. Nourbakhsh paid a visit to the New Karolinska Solna (NKS) Hospital which is under construction in Solna Municipality, municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, the Iranian and Swedish officials agreed to examine the feasibility of a joint hospital to be built by Iran and Sweden.

Also, Dr. Nourbakhsh had a meeting with representatives of Ten Swedish Companies of health area to talk over the ways to expand cooperation in areas of pharmaceutical industries, medical equipment, and hospital construction.

According to another agreement made during Nourbakhsh’s visit to Sweden, a Swedish delegation would travel to Iran in near future to follow up the procession of agreements made in this visit and finalize some other agreements under which are currently under consideration.

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