TEHRAN (Iran News) – Charge d’Affaires of Embassy of Argentina in Tehran Jorge Mariano Jordan in meeting with Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mine and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam-Hossein Shafei said that 20 Argentinian companies are to arrive in Tehran for resuming economic cooperation.

In the meeting, Shafei pointed to the economic capacities of Argentina and said Argentina is a big and vast country with collection of diversity in the fields of agriculture and industry which is strongly considered by the world. He added that although economic relations of Iran declined last year, it did not halt but there are some products from Argentina which are available in Iran’s market being imported by the third party country but it is not mentioned in the official statistics related to the bilateral trade between Iran and Argentina.

He added that for example one can find Argentinian beans in Iran’s market in abundance which is not imported directly from Argentina and they are imported from other countries. He reiterated that direct transportation between Iran and Argentina is the main hurdle in way of the trade.

Shafei went on to say that Iran has good cooperation with Argentina in some fields like soya, adding that in terms of diversity of products both countries can study cooperation and there is possibility for this cooperation.

He noted that he has heard some reports that one Argentinian shipping airline has announced to activate shipping between the two countries and if the report is true, it will be an important event and in case direct shipping is launched, it will boost the bilateral trade of Iran and Argentina.

He said extraterrestrial farming is a good field for cooperation and Iranians can use land in Argentina for farming and exports. He went on to say that in the future the condition may change and broadening of ties with other countries like Argentina will be possible.

Shafei noted that economic activists of the two countries do not have enough information of economic capacities of the other party for cooperation, reiterating that the exchange of information in this field would be prioritized and announced readiness of the chamber for all-out support for developing economic relations in the private sector.

Then Argentinian Charge d’Affaires Jordan, for his part, said that there is a high capacity for cooperation between Iran and Argentina, adding that commercial relation of the two countries is very low but currently the climate for improving economic ties exists. He then confirmed Shafei’s view on the exchange of information and said it needs to be completed. He stated that he has been ordered by his government to improve the condition.

Jordan went on to say that Argentina has high capacity for economic cooperation, adding that many products are produced in Argentina from agro to commercial ones which can be considered as the fields for bilateral cooperation between Tehran and Buenos Aires. He then said that major part of his mission is to improve bilateral ties and to deepen the trade between the two countries through diversifying fields of cooperation.

On the cooperation in the extraterrestrial farming, he said that Argentina has considerable amount of fertile land and this capacity has been remained unknown for the world. He said that Iran and Argentina can cooperate in this field as well as knowledge-based sciences and industry.

Jordan said that he will do his best to get in touch with associations and unions active in fields of rice, oil seed, auto parts, mobile and fintech to pave the ground for cooperation between Argentina and Iran. He reiterated that Argentina has good capacity in field of producing meat which has been unnoticed and both countries can cooperate in this field, too.

Jordan went on to say that Embassy of Argentina in Tehran is working with a small team but it tries to bring Argentinian companies to Iran. He admitted that many of them have not been in working mood with Iran but they can resume cooperation. He said that he wants to activate bilateral cooperation of 20 Argentinian companies between the two countries as he wants to be a bridge between the producers of the two states, reiterating that he is a pragmatic person and does talk.

Then Shafei hailed Jordan’s decision to bring 20 Argentinian companies to Iran, saying that Iran can do the same and it will be a new opening for broadening bilateral economic cooperation.