Eurasia Press & News
TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Industrial gases giant Air Liquide is thought to be considering re-establishing a presence in Iran, dependent on a number of factors and practicalities that need to be ironed-out first.
Speaking during a Q&A session at the gasworld conference in Dubai, Air Liquide’s senior vice president Pierre Dufour indicated that the company does have an interest in rekindling its activity in the Iranian market, but stressed that any involvement would be long-term and certain infrastructure would need to be assessed prior to any developments.
“We are actually looking at the Arabian market, the problem we have is not with the political sense so much, it’s with the macro-economics scene and the ability to operate as a foreign company. We’re still looking at these issues,” Dufour said.
It was pointed out that Air Liquide reviews all investment opportunities and projects from a long-term perspective. In a jovial mood, Dufour remarked that the company makes an investment for life, if welcome, and also made clear the issues that need to be addressed first.
He said, “When we go somewhere, we go for life – or we try to go for life, if we are welcomed for life! So we tend to look at the ability of a country, of its financial and legal infrastructure. We tend to look at that very carefully because we’re not there just for a few years, we’re there for a long time, so we’re looking at it in that perspective.”
