TEHRAN (Iran News) – Chairman of the Joint Chamber of Commerce of Iran and Turkey says although media report 53% growth in Iran-Turkey trade by reaching $4.5b, this is not considerable and it is far behind heyday’s trade of $21b.
Speaking to ILNA, Mehrdad Saadat talked about the outlook of trade relations of Iran and Turkey and said that both countries have very good relations but due to the sanctions their trade volume declined from $21b during the past years and it was $7.5b last year and this figure shows a growth comparing to the preceding year but it is far beyond the heyday figure.
He noted that the chamber has good plans for the current year for boosting trade between the two countries, adding that the first program was holding a forum in Istanbul which was welcomed by the Turkish traders.
Meanwhile in an interview with IRNA, he called for a “positive” attitude of the government to trade with neighboring countries, saying this can remove political problems and trade barriers and will help expansion of economic ties.
Saadat told IRAN that rising figures of foreign trade should not misguide economic operators.
He said Iran should now go for a target of 15-billion-dollar trade with Turkey, which is still much lower than the former 21-billion-dollar commerce between the two countries.
Saadat said the joint chamber has already held exhibitions and conferences and has set the stage for Iranian expatriates in Turkey to get acquainted with their Iranian counterparts to attract investments.
The official said, however, that the government should also work to ease trade.
“It is expected that the government addresses the issue of [trade with] neighboring countries, especially Turkey, carefully and seriously,” he said.
“Turkey, as a neighbor, has extraordinary advantages for Iran, and with steps taken by the government, the private sector can also take steps in line with the national interests.”
“We hope existing problems between the two countries are quickly eliminated.”
According to IRNA, Iran exported $6.1 billion worth of products to Turkey the previous Iranian calendar year, which shows a 141-percent increase year-on-year.
