TEHRAN (Iran News) –Head of Iran, Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mine and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam-Hossein Shafei in meeting with Iran’s new Ambassador to Bangladesh Mansour Chavoshi called for implementation of Iran-Bangladesh preferential trade agreement and reiterated it would pave the ground for boosting trade between the two countries.
In the meeting, Shafei and Chavoshi explored ways for reinforcing trade and increasing bilateral trade volume between Iran and Bangladesh. In the meeting, Shafei pointed to the high economic growth of Bangladesh and start of new development-centered approaches of the country in recent years and he termed the prospect of Bangladesh economy as positive and emphasized reinforcing trade infrastructures of Iran with Bangladesh for broadening bilateral cooperation.
He said that considering developmental plans in Bangladesh, there are many capacities for cooperation between Iran and Bangladesh like in construction materials and road-construction technologies, bitumen, cement, fuel, transportation fleet, manufacture of bus, investment and broadening co-operations in different industries like apparel, agro sector, herbal medicines, medical equipment and other grounds.
Shafei also emphasized that in the field of trade with Bangladesh, two hurdles of tariff and transportation require to be removed and these challenges are eased. He added that Bangladesh has started tariff exemption deals with some countries especially European ones and therefore Iran needs to implement preferential trade agreement with Bangladesh for paving the ground for the bilateral trade.
He then pointed to recent delegation of ICCIMA to Bangladesh to attend the D8 Chambers of Commerce Meeting where the delegation consulted with Bangladeshi officials over reducing trade tariffs and revoking visas for traders of the D8 members and it announced readiness of ICCIMA to host the next meeting of the group in Tehran.
Shafei also said that currently Bushehr Chamber of Commerce is in charge of coordinating trade cooperation between Iran and Bangladesh, adding that ICCIMA has approved to launch the Iran-Bangladesh Joint Commercial Committee which will be soon formed.
He also said that it needs business activists of Iran and Bangladesh to know the economic capacities both sides, adding that preparations are underway for dispatching or hosting trade delegation through cooperation of embassies of Iran and Bangladesh and with activating the joint commercial committee, these programs will be reinforced.
Then Mr. Chavoshi, for his part, emphasized the importance of Iran-Bangladesh ties and pointed to the capacities and broad advantages that Iran can take advantage of it through cooperation with Bangladesh. He said that one of the positive points is that Bangladeshi people have good view regarding Iran and its economic activists and goods and this attitude can be used for broadening ties and cooperation between the two states and should be reinforced, adding that there are grounds for cooperation between Iran and Bangladesh like construction, construction materials, handicrafts, IT and other grounds.
He also emphasized necessity for acquaintance of Iranian economic activists with Bangladesh market and field knowledge and in-person meetings of traders, active presence of Iranian activists in annual exhibitions of Bangladesh and dispatch of trade delegation to Bangladesh are two important issues for boosting cooperation and enhancing trade volume.
