Rouhani calls for foreign partnerships to boost Iran’s car industryMarch 1, 2016 - 14:47 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Iran's president is calling for foreign partnerships to boost the country's car industry and says the sector must be privatized to improve its competitiveness, the Associated Press reports. President Hassan Rouhani told a car industry conference in a nationally broadcast speech on Tuesday, March 1, that partnerships with international carmakers offer a shortcut to improving the industry's technology and safety. Iran's 50-year-old car industry produces about 900,000 cars annually. The country hopes to increase the number to 3 million by 2025. France's Peugeot-Citroen last month announced a joint venture with automaker Iran Khodro to make 200,000 cars a year outside Tehran. The French carmaker was heavily involved in Iran's auto industry before nuclear-related sanctions were imposed. In Iran, a country of 80 million people, road accidents annually claim nearly 17,000 lives, which many blame on safety. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients YSU students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia gathered in a casual setting to meet with the Bank's CEO, Hayk Stepanyan. Azerbaijan extends Rune Vardanyan’s arrest by 5 months A court in Azerbaijan has extended the arrest of former Nagorno-Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan by five months. Armenia border residents dissatisfied with delimitation Residents Kirants are dissatisfied with the results of the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. |