TEHRAN (Iran News) –Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mine and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam-Hossein Shafei in meeting with Kazakhstan’s Vice-Minister of Trade and Integration Mr. Kairat Torebayev called for resolving the problem of refrigerated transport which affects the trade between the two countries.
On the sidelines of Iran-Kazakhstan Business Forum in Tehran, Shafei met with Torebayev and during the meeting both sides explored ways to remove hurdles for broadening trade ties.
Shafei said that although Kazakhstan is considered as a good market for Iran’s agro products, it faces the problem of refrigerated transport that both countries are struggling which should be resolved soon.
He also emphasized special position of Kazakhstan as a trade partner for Iran and said that the presence of both countries in Eurasia and Shanghai Cooperation Organization have opened new horizons for broadening economic relations that the private sectors of both countries should make most of it.
He then pointed to easing visa process and revoking visa for a two-week visit by both countries and termed it an action which is effective in enhancing trade cooperation and he expects in the near future both countries issue visas for longer times for their traders.
Shafei also said that attention to the rail, sea and transport infrastructures should be prioritized by both countries, adding that the most important problem for boosting bilateral trade between the two countries is the issue of transport. He reiterated that resolving this problem demands strong determination of their statesmen. He added that in the future transit between the two countries via connection of Kazakhstan to China and Iran’s access to the free waters and Southeast Asia can be brilliant provided that infrastructures are ready for taking advantage of this opportunity.
He then pointed to the requirements of Kazakhstan market to Iran’s fruits and vegetables, reiterating that Kazakhstan is a good market for Iranian agro products but there is problem in refrigerated transport and this should be resolved as soon as possible.
Then Kazakh Vice- Minister Torebayev, for his part, emphasized that his country seeks to improve its trade ties with Iran, adding that Iran is the main route of Kazakhstan for connecting to Turkey and the Middle East. He added that the goal behind the forum was to increase the amount of trade exchanges.
He went on to say that Kazakhstan is to broaden its cooperation with Iran especially in agro and fishery products. He then pointed to the problem of logistics between Iran and Kazakhstan and said that Kazakh truck drivers face problems when they passing Iran and if they can define a suitable insurance for the drivers of containers and transit, then they will achieve greater successes in broadening trade ties.
Torebayev added that he thinks in the near future the financial and banking problems between the two states will be resolved and soon both sides will see materialization of their $3b trade volume target.
