Analysis of the Impact of Free Zones on Economic Development in Iran Case Study: Aras Free Zone

Economic development, as one of the key pillars for development in developing countries, must be pursued with firm determination. There are many components within the lands of countries to achieve economic development One of these components, considering some ports and cities, is the free zone in order to facilitate lucrative trade for the country, border region and province concerned, and nationally and regionally in general. And even set some free zones around the world for economic development. Although there are seven free zones in Iran, the level of economic development within the country remains inadequate. Aras Free Zone is one of those areas in the northwest of the country that can play an important role in developing economic relations as a bridge linking the Caucasus and Eastern Europe. The purpose of this article is to analyze the impact of Aras Free Zone on economic development of the country. To achieve this goal, the paper is a descriptive-analytical research using library resources and websites. The results show that the Aras Free Zone at local and national scale has had a better impact on Iran's economic development than the regional scale.