TEHRAN - Turkcell, one of Turkish companies working in Iran, has decided to continue to serve in this country, while Tepe-Akfen-Ventures (TAV) would bring its materials and equipment to Turkey by the end of this month, dailies said.
According to the news reporters of some daily newspapers, Turkcell decided to continue to operate in Iran by accepting conditions of this country.
Turkcell admitted the decision that local companies would have 51 percent and foreign companies would have 49 percent of shares of Irancell, the second GSM operator which will operate in the country.
Irancell Chairman Masum Ferdis said that it was estimated that the second GSM operator would earn 2.5 billion USD a year.
In the 2004 bid made in Iran, Irancell, which Turkcell is a partner, had qualified for the license in return for 3 USD billion. The Iranian parliament with a majority of conservatives, however, decided that local companies should increase their share in the consortium and maintain at least a 51 percent controlling share.
On the other hand, Hamid Muhsin, a representative of TAV in Iran, told the A.A correspondent that a part of materials and equipment of the company in the airport in Iran was sent to Turkey and the remaining part would be sent by the end of this month.
Stating that they were holding talks with Iranian authorities, Muhsin noted that they want to reach a compromise, but if talks do not yield a result, they can apply to the court.
In May 2003, TAV had offered the highest bid for the international tender on operating the Imam Khomeini International Airport and won the tender.
The airport was shut down May 8, 2004, following ''security concerns'' after the landing of one Emirates aircraft, the first and last to land in the new facility. The initiatives that were carried out by Turkish government for TAV to continue to run the airport did not yield any result.