TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran and Uzbekistan expressed satisfaction over the growth of their bilateral trade and called for boosting the trade volume to $2b by the end of 2022.
A trade delegation from Uzbekistan, led by First Deputy Chief of Uzbekistan’s Plants Quarantine Service Mr. Nadir Kasimov, met officials of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mine and Agriculture (ICCIMA) and during the meeting both sides deplored ways for enhancing bilateral trade.
In the meeting, head of international affairs of ICCIMA Mr. Mohammad Reza Karbasi expressed his satisfaction over the growing trend of trade between Tehran and Tashkent and emphasized materializing the $2b bilateral trade volume.
Karbasi pointed to the growing trend of trade relation between Iran and Uzbekistan in the first five months of 2021 which shows 39 percent growth comparing to the same period in 2020, adding that it is expected the cooperation to continue the growing trend and it passes $500m mark.
He said with a glance at the existing capacities both countries can materialize $2b trade volume by the end of 2022, reiterating that economic activists of the two states should take serious steps.
Karbasi added that fortunately there are no restrictions for expansion of trade relations between Iran and Uzbekistan and co-operations are underway for easing the trade. He said that ICCIMA launched Iran-Uzbekistan Joint Chamber of Commerce for this reason to be an effective executive arm for facilitating the trade.
He said in order to enhance the number of trade delegation exchanges between the two countries, it needs to ease traveling and increasing the number of direct flights between Iran and Uzbekistan. He also reiterated that signing the preferential trade agreement between the two countries is necessary and called for the launch of a trade arbitration committee in case of dispute between traders.
He then called for signing an agreement between quarantine organizations of the two countries which will help their trade of food, livestock and agro products.
Then Kasimov, for his part, announced the agreements between Uzbekistan and Iran’s quarantine organizations and then elaborated the condition of exports in Uzbekistan and reforms in this field.
He said despite the pandemic, the reforms continue and concentration is on the infrastructures of the country.
Kasimov called Iran as one of Uzbekistan’s main trade partners and said holding $2b meetings between economic activists in different fields are of the effective actions in line with enhancing the bilateral trade volume.
On the direct flight between Tehran and Tashkent, he said that on November 12, the first direct flight between the two countries was carried out after months of halt due to the pandemic, noting that reinforcing this route and flight will definitely help to improve the current condition of cooperation between the two states.
Kasimov then pointed to goals of his visit to Tehran and said imports of Iranian products to Uzbekistan are not his only goal, reiterating that Uzbekistan seeks shaping a joint relation and broad activities between the two countries.
Then Uzbekistan’s Commercial Attache Mr. Umid Babaev, for his part, expressed his views on ways of developing the trade ties between the two countries and urged ICCIMA to send a list of Iranian traders and fields of their activities to the Embassy of Uzbekistan for the planning for the future cooperation.
Then deputy head of Iran-Uzbekistan Joint Chamber of Commerce expressed his satisfaction over the growing trend of trade between the two countries and invited Uzbekistan’s agro products exporters to Iran for getting familiar with Iran’s market.
Some traders in the fields of fruit, dried fruits and potato had accompanied the Uzbek delegation to Tehran.
