Explaining the role of Aras Free Trade Zone in the development of medium and small cities

Free zones are gateways to world markets by taking advantage of the potentials and opportunities of the domestic economy in international trade. If the goal of the country's development is to develop the areas outside the big cities so that it includes all the rural areas in addition to the cities, one of the most important efforts is to pay attention to the small towns and somehow determine and evaluate their role in the development of the region. is In this research, the role of Aras Free Trade Zone in the development of medium and small cities has been evaluated. The main purpose of the research is to investigate the role of the Aras Free Zone on the development of medium and small cities around. The collection of information was done in two ways: library and field. The statistical population studied are the residents of small and medium towns around the region. The reason for choosing this community is the impact of Aras Free Zone on the lives of these residents. 150 of these people were randomly selected; Also, Cochran's formula was used to estimate the sample size. Cronbach's alpha method was used to measure the reliability of the research. Factor analysis and Spearman's test were used for the analysis. According to the results obtained from the questionnaires and the analytical test, Aras Free Zone is an effective factor in the development of small and medium cities and has caused the economic and social development of these cities. Suggestions for further development of small and medium cities have been presented.