Tehran Eyes Expanding Economic Ties With Muscat
IRAN NEWS ECONOMIC DESK
TEHRAN – Iran is determined to expand economic cooperation with Oman with an eye on developing this Persian Gulf Arab state.
Iran-Oman Chamber of Commerce held its annual general meeting online in Tehran where the participants announced the future plans of the chamber which are focused on boosting tourism, industry, mine, transportation, fishery and easing the ground for presence of Iranian economic activists in Oman despite current problems in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Addressing the meeting, Head of Iran-Oman Chamber of Commerce, Mohsen Zarrabi, pointed to the current bilateral relation of both states and termed it good. He further said that fortunately since 2013, the infrastructures for Iran-Oman relations have been in good condition and Oman is a good destination for export and re-export for Iranian products.
Zarrabi noted that of course appropriate infrastructures have been prepared for imports from Oman which is undeniable.
He stated that in 20013, the trade volume between both states stood at $221m which has gradually grown five-fold in recent years and the figure stood at $1.16b at 2018, admitting that the trade volume faced a downtrend in 2019 and fell to $694m.
Zarrabi blamed the U.S. sanctions, some sudden changes in regulations and overnight bans which are announced in the country for this decline in trade with Oman. He admitted that unexpected changes in regulations have upset Omanis and they have lost their trust for continuing trade with Iran.
He also said that stability in the macro-economic policies of the country for developing export markets is crucial and inevitable.
Zarrabi reiterated that without stability and planning, successful export cannot be achieved, adding due to the current forex condition of Iran, non-oil exports and forex revenues of the country are very important and the government should provide infrastructures for developing exports.
He also pointed to the facilities which have been provided by Omani government for Iranian traders as they can get visas upon their arrivals in the country and this decision has eased the way for cooperation for Iranian private sector traders.
Zarrabi also pointed to the outbreak of the coronavirus, saying that at the time of pandemic when most countries had closed their borders to Iran’s exports, Oman was the only country which kept its border open to Iran.
He further said both countries have started cooperation on tourism sector since 2018 and so fat the number of health and religious tourists has reached 86,000.
He noted that Oman is rich in terms of mineral resources and both countries can boost their bilateral cooperation in this sector by having joint investment.
Zarrabi added that talks are underway for boosting cooperation in other sectors like fishery and transportation.
The general meeting was held online and it was the first experience of the chamber for meeting online.
