Iranian app store Cafe Bazaar’s CEO said “sudden actions” recently taken by Apple and Google to ban apps made in the country disrespects its users and developers.

In an interview, Amin Amirsharifi told Mobile World Live “politics should not interfere with free access to information, technology and online services”.

He said the country is home to many creative, hardworking, teams eager to develop new products for their own people, adding “we would definitely have a more booming economy” if the international community was willing to collaborate.

On the bright side, though, he said “we have learned to do things by ourselves” and noted the ban may actually lead to “yet another growth in the local app economy and industry.”

Cafe Bazaar has 34 million active users, more than 23,800 active developer accounts and 120,000 apps on the store. Developers earned more than $34.8 million in revenue to date, Amirsharifi said.

Click here to read the full interview with Amirsharifi and Hessam Armandehi, co-founder and executive chairman.