Increasing trade between Iran and Pakistan

Increasing trade between Iran and Pakistan

Following the silence over the arrival of trade delegations in Iran, a trade delegation from Pakistan, headed by the head of the Trade Development Organization, met with Iranian economic activists in the Tehran Chamber yesterday. During the meeting, the two sides stressed the need to develop economic cooperation and trade to achieve the set goal of five billion dollars and fight against smuggling of goods between the two countries. The members of this 30-member trade delegation, who have come to Iran on behalf of 25 companies, work in the fields of clothing and textiles, food, rice, fruits and vegetables, medical equipment, handicrafts, jewelry and precious stones.

The Vice President of the Tehran Chamber said that the establishment of branches of banks and financial institutions in both countries is a good precondition for the development of cooperation, and at the same time, the creation of special economic zones between the two sides is one of the tools to improve economic relations between Iran and Pakistan. Mehdi Jahangiri, referring to the $ 830 million volume of trade relations between the two countries, downplayed this level of relations due to the proximity and political and cultural ties between the two countries, and said: “To improve the level of cooperation, we need to develop strategic trade planning between the two countries.” However, the strategy was created following the recent visit of the President of Iran to Pakistan and the holding of constructive talks between high-ranking officials of both countries. He said that the officials of both countries emphasize on increasing the volume of economic relations to $ 5 billion a year, adding: “Pakistan has always been by Iran’s side during the sanctions period, and now, after the lifting of sanctions, some countries are at the forefront of establishing relations.” They have not left Iran alone in the difficult past.

The Vice President of the Tehran Chamber said that one of the areas of economic cooperation between the two countries is the development of the transportation and transit sectors, and in addition, the export of electricity from Iran to Pakistan is part of the country’s long-term economic policies and plans. On the other hand, Jahangiri described the existence of trafficking between the two countries as a serious obstacle to the expansion of formal relations between the two sides and seriously assessed the efforts of the governments of the two countries to eliminate this problem. Emphasizing on the development of special economic zones between the two countries, the Vice President of the Tehran Chamber added: “The governments of the two countries have appropriate programs in this field and the Chamber of Commerce, as a strong arm of the private sector, is ready to provide the necessary investment conditions for this sector.” slow. Jahangiri also described the holding of a special Iranian exhibition in Pakistan and the exchange of trade delegations between the two countries as a serious step towards expanding economic relations. The head of Pakistan’s Trade Development Organization also mentioned the volume of trade between the two countries as small and said: “By establishing fundamental relations, the volume of relations can be increased for next year.” Sayed Mohammad Munir, stating that 60% of Pakistan’s oil and gas is supplied from Iran, added: “Currently, Iran has a trade volume of 50 billion dollars with the world, which unfortunately Pakistan has a small share and much more effort should be made.” That this share be promoted and be in line with the capacities and similarities of the two neighboring countries. “At the time of the sanctions, we saw a decrease in trade between Iran and Pakistan,” he said. Pakistan, meanwhile, imported $ 1 billion worth of oil and gas from Iran in 2009.

“Seyed Mohammad Munir” said that the most serious obstacle to the development of relations is the weakening of monetary and financial exchanges and added: “By establishing bank branches in both countries, we can solve this problem.” At the same time, he considered the establishment of direct flights between Tehran and Karachi as one of the ways to improve the level of economic cooperation. “Before the sanctions, most of the exchanges between the two countries were carried out through the UAE,” he said. Referring to the fact that a special exhibition of Pakistan is being held in Mashhad these days, he said: “The largest private exhibition of Pakistan will be held in Tehran in February of this year.”

The head of Pakistan’s trade delegation also stressed the need to facilitate the issuance of trade visas for travel between the two countries, and called for the establishment of specialized exhibitions while planning for the dispatch of trade delegations. The head of the Pakistan Trade Development Organization, in a similar view to the vice-president of the Tehran Chamber, called the existence of trafficking between the two countries a serious damage to the formation of economic relations between the two sides and stressed that efforts to resolve this problem should be a priority. In this meeting, Mehdi Pourghazi, Chairman of the Industry and Mining Commission of the Tehran Chamber, also emphasized the exchange of trade goods between the two countries through official bases and said: If we can carry out trade exchanges in accordance with the standards through legal and official bases, smuggling will stop. will be.

Source: World Economy