Iran said on Wednesday that it has a serious determination to expand ties with Germany and that it is ready to take the appropriate measures to facilitate the investments by German enterprises in its economy.

“The Iranian people have a favorable attitude toward Germany from the viewpoint of cultural values,” Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council, told Germany’s Ambassador to Tehran Michael Freiherr von Ungern.

“We welcome the expansion of trade ties with Germany,” Rezaei said adding that Berlin needs to show “more courage” in taking due political and economic decisions toward Iran.

He further emphasized that Iran can become a perfect investment hub for German companies to target other nearby markets including Central Asia.

The official emphasized that the next four to five years will be the best opportunity for Europe to establish economic ties with Iran.

“Iran is determined to expand economic ties with Germany,” he said.

“The Expediency Council – which is the center of policymaking in Iran – is ready to take measures to facilitate the expansion of trade relations between the two countries”.

Germany was one of the first European countries to send a major trade delegation to Tehran to look for the avenues to expand economic ties in after the July nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1.

Germany’s Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel arrived in Tehran for a two-day visit on July 19 at the head of a large economic and political team.

The 60-strong delegation included representatives of big German industrial companies such as Linde, Siemens, Mercedes, BASF, Volkswagen Group, and GIZ.

Later, Germany’s Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Matthias Machnig told reporters that Gabriel’s visit had opened a new chapter in relations between Iran and Germany.

Machnig – who is due in Tehran in October for key trade talks – emphasized that German industries can make “a substantial contribution” to Iran's modernization after the removal of the sanctions against the country.