AIIB President Says Bank Is Ready To Finance Iran’s Infrastructure Projects

PRESS RELEASE

AIIB President Says Bank Is Ready To Finance Iran’s Infrastructure Projects

Nov. 16, 2016 (EIRNS)—During his meeting in Beijing with the Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Abbas Akhundi, today, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) President Jin Liqun said that "this bank is ready to finance Iran’s infrastructure projects," reported the state-owned Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). The AIIB, an international financial institution proposed by China to invest in infrastructure projects in the Asia-Pacific region, was created in October 2014. and currently has 57 founding members. The Islamic Republic of Iran is a member of AIIB’s founding board and the issue holds great significance for the stakeholders of the bank, Jin said, reported Mehr News Agency.

During the meeting, Akhundi expressed Iran’s interest in using AIIB financing for development of its infrastructure in various sectors of air, rail, and road. Akhundi also expressed willingness to take advantage of the financial and credit resources of AIIB, recalling that "the Islamic Republic of Iran aims to implement numerous projects in the mentioned fields via assistance of financial institutions," Mehr said. Later at the meeting, Mehr reported, Akhundi urged the AIIB to deploy a delegation to Tehran so that they could evaluate the country’s projects to find the best approach towards bilateral cooperation.