TEHRAN (Iran News) –  Head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) says Iran has opened five trade centers abroad to boost its foreign trade, adding that the country intends to increase its commercial attaches to 30.

Speaking in a ceremony honoring the exemplary exporters of Tehran Province, Alireza Payman Pak said that the organization has turned to expansion of commercial attaches that currently the amount of them has increased to 30, admitting that it was around 60 in the past that due to some restrictions it had fallen sharply but it will slightly increase to 30 next year.

He went on to say that the country should prepare sustainable mechanisms for exports in order to have permanent effectiveness, adding that this year there was a brainstorming meeting between President and the private sector wherein the President had good orders like lifting restriction on exports of medical equipment and there is a strong determination for exports in mid-term in the government.

Payman Pak noted that there is a provision chain which includes raw material, production, export, sales and return of its forex, adding that if we see this chain as an integrated chain, being accompanied with the supportive policies, then exports will definitely increase.

He then pointed to the measures of the organization for boosting export and foreign trade, adding that expansion of commercial attaches is one of the measures demanded by the organization which helps developing the market and currently after increasing the budget, it is expected the number of commercial attaches to hit 30 next year, admitting that it was once 60 that due to the existing restrictions it has almost been halved.

He noted that due to the government restrictions, the embassies cannot choose their commercial attaches from the private sector but the foreign ministry can choose them from other ministries and government bodies.

Payman Pak then pointed to the launch of the trade centers. He noted that the organization has special bylaws for the launch of the trade centers, adding that the organization has launched five trade centers in Armenia, Turkey, Kazakhstan and the UAE. He added that the launch of the trade center in Kazakhstan was pursued by the chambers of commerce of the two states in order to cover the weaknesses and lack of information of traders with the laws of the target country.

He went on to say that 40 groups are keen to be active in Syria and 8 of them have signed agreements with Syrians for economic cooperation. He reiterated that the organization has activated some of free trade agreements and signed some preferential trade agreements with Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as free trade with Syria.

He also reiterated that forex policies of the country should be coordinated with the trade policies otherwise it will lead to the slump in the exports and rise in the forex rate in the market. He noted that if the country can revive exports fund and sign agreements with other countries, it can act like opening the LC.