The issue was discussed at a meeting between Sistan and Baluchestan Governor Mansour Bijar and Hossein Forouzan, secretary of Iran’s High Council of Free and Special Economic Zones, with officials stressing the need to remove inter-agency obstacles and coordinate development plans across the province.
The meeting followed Forouzan’s visits to the Sistan Free Zone and the Mirjaveh Special Economic Zone, where the sides reviewed the province’s economic potential, infrastructure requirements and development challenges.
Bijar said free and special economic zones could serve as engines of development, particularly as a growing share of Iran’s strategically important border areas is being incorporated into such zones.
He called for government agencies to operate within a unified development framework, particularly given the potential to expand trade with neighboring countries through Iran’s border crossings and economic zones.
The governor also called for faster implementation of key infrastructure projects, specifically urging the authorities to pursue construction of Chabahar airport and complete and operationalize the Chabahar-Zahedan railway before the end of the current Iranian year.
The railway is regarded as a major component of efforts to connect the deep-water port of Chabahar with Iran’s national rail network and strengthen the province’s position in regional transit and trade. The port provides Iran with direct access to the Indian Ocean and is strategically positioned for trade links with Afghanistan, Central Asia and wider regional markets.
Bijar also proposed signing a memorandum of understanding between the provincial administration and the High Council of Free and Special Economic Zones to establish practical mechanisms for resolving inter-agency obstacles and coordinating development programs involving free and special economic zones.
Forouzan, for his part, emphasized the need for an integrated approach to development, warning that fragmented decision-making could undermine the implementation of provincial development plans.
“Development must be comprehensive,” he said, stressing that coordination among government institutions was essential to translating the province’s economic potential into tangible projects.
The construction of Chabahar airport was also placed on the council’s agenda, according to Forouzan, who said the project would be followed up as part of efforts to expand the province’s infrastructure.
He also called for implementation of a presidential commitment to construct a 540-bed hospital in Chabahar, stressing that the project should move from planning to execution.
The meeting concluded with an emphasis on using the capacities of free and special economic zones, improving coordination among government agencies, removing administrative barriers and accelerating strategic infrastructure projects.