Facts about the Austrian-Iranian trade relations

November 2006 the president of the Iranian chamber of commerce Khamoushi emphasized: “Austria is the gate to the European Union for us”. The Iranian minister of finance and commerce Davoud Davoud Jarari underlined Iran's strategic position in the Middle East as well as Austria's unique position in Europe and called for expanding mutual trade relations.
June 2007 the Austrian minister of commerce Martin Bartenstein described Iran as an important supplier of energy for Europe and emphasized the significance of securing energy. Already in December 2003 Bartenstein announced Iran as Austria's most important trade partner in Southwest Asia. He added that in the future this position has to be consolidated and extended.
In the year 2006 Austria imported commodities worth 141 million euros from Iran and exported commodities worth 339 million euros to Iran according to the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour. Austrian exports to Iran have nearly doubled since 2002. However a comparison with german exports to Iran, ranging in the billions for quite some time, reveals that not until OMV's billion euro deal materializes will Austria be elevated to a long-term strategic partner of the mullah dictatorship.
Austrian exports to Iran are secured by government guarantees from the administration. According to the Oesterreichische Kontrollbank AG, Iran ranked number 5 in 2005 among those nations which profited from such guarantees. Since 2004 an Austrian-Iranian protection of investment and a double taxation agreement exists.
On April 21st 2007 the OMV signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Iran concerning the completion of a joint natural gas project. According to the OMV the company will invest in parts of the natural gas field South Pars in the Persian Gulf, in a liquefaction plant and in subscriber agreements for liquefied natural gas. The company has not publicized any figures regarding the financial scope of the investment, but the Austrian daily newspaper “der Standard” reported that the contract with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) amounts to nearly 22 billion euros over the next 25 years. The OMV is Austria's top listed industrial company, the biggest oil corporation in Central Europe.
In Mai 2007 the brewery Ottakringer declared their intention of building a production site in Iran to produce their nonalcoholic brand “Null Komma Josef” worth 25 million euros.
Austrian-Iranian trade relations also comprises of arms shipments. The Austrian arms company Steyr-Mannlicher delivered precision rifles of the model Steyr HS.50 to Iran. According to the American Enterprise Institute the military-industrial complex accounts for eleven percent of the Austrian-Iranian trade volume.
According to the German Office for Foreign Trade 17 Austrian companies were represented at the 2007 International Exhibition of Oil, Gas & Petrochemical Industries in Tehran. Early in September of the same year Trotec, Frank & Dvorak, Alpen-Maykestag, Sirocco, beco and Tyrolit - several renown companies from the post-nationalsocialist republic - participated in the Tehran International Industry Exposition according to the Austrian embassy in Tehran. A number of Austrian companies have announced their presence at the International Exhibition of Electricity Industry in Tehran which took place in November of 2007. Austria vaunts the "traditionally excellent relationship between Iran and Austria", is "proud" to have been represented at the Iranian Oil Show with one of the largest stands and looks forward to the Austrian participation in the 13th International Exhibition of Oil, Gas & Petrochemical Industries in April of 2008.

Facts about the Austrian-Iranian trade relations

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