TEHRAN (Iran News) – Participants in the forum on reviewing opportunities and capacities for trade between Iran and Pakistan on Tuesday in Tehran called for easing the custom condition for improving the trade between Iran and Pakistan.

Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mine and Agriculture (ICCIMA) hosted this event where Syed Muhammad Tariq Huda, Head of the Customs Administration of Pakistan as well as heads of chambers of commerce of Iran’s Zahedan and Pakistan’s Quetta were present.

In the forum, Gholam-Hossein Jamili, a member of presiding board of ICCIMA, said in recent days, signs of eagerness of officials and chambers of commerce of the two countries have been promising for developing economic condition and it signals a new chapter in the economic relations of the two states.

He added that to improve bilateral trades, the huge potentials for economic cooperation should be activated and through the joint cooperation both sides would witness trade exchanges and joint investments.

Jamili said the current trade cooperation of the two states is unsatisfactory so that share of each country from the other party’s market is less than 3 percent.

He referred to Iran’s membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and it seems in this frame work the opportunities for cooperation have been multiplied and this is an incentive for strengthening the trade level between Tehran and Islamabad.

He pointed to the capabilities of Iran’s private sector especially in the industrial and trade fields like medical equipment and medicines, agro and food products, detergents and hygienic products, construction materials and also in the technical and engineering services, tourism and handicrafts. He then announced readiness of Iran’s private sector for cooperation with Pakistani economic activists.

Jamili reiterated that Pakistan can also export textile machinery and materials, tropical fruits, farming and products to Iran.

He said both countries can use the mechanism of barter trade for enhancing the bilateral trade and reiterated that high tariff is one of the hurdles in way of implementing the preferential trade agreement between the two states.

Then Head of Customs Administration of Pakistan Mr. Tariq Hoda reiterated that in near future Pakistan will ease the custom process and the country is ready to ease visa issuance for Iranian traders. He then called for expansion of trade between Iranian and Pakistani companies.