Director General of Africa in Trade Promotion Organization Mr. Mohammad Sadeq Ghannadzadeh, Iran’s Ambassador to Senegal Mr. Dehshiri, Ambassador of Senegal to Tehran Mr. Saliou Niang Dieng and some of Iranian traders who are interested in investment in Senegal attend the meeting which was hosted by the Trade Promotion Organization.

In the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Ghannadzadeh pointed to the importance of the African continent in the issue of trade and providing raw materials required by the production unit of the country, added that this continent is rich in natural and God given materials and ant thing that industrial countries need is available in this continent.

He added that so for this reason most of countries in the world have broadened their trade ties with African states that he can point to China and Turkey as best examples that they have increased their trade with Africa to $260-$300b.

He pointed to Iran’s negligence regarding the trade with Africa in the past years and criticized it and said that since the current government took office, Iran could broaden its trade with African states with a change in its approach in a way that in the first four months of the current years, two African states have moved into Iran’s top 20 trade partners.

Ghannadzadeh reiterated that the view of this government is the existing capacities for trade with countries and it does consider names and brands. He added that for examples countries like Mauritius which is unknown to most Iranians has progressed considerably in the fields of monetary and banking and it is considered as Singapore of Africa and now Iran has started interaction with this country and last week Tehran hosted a 60-man delegation from Mauritius.

He then pointed to the issuance of licenses for the launch of 7 trade centers in Africa, adding that currently 3 trade centers are active in this continent and expressed hope the number would reach 10 by the yearend. He stated these centers are considered as Iran’s economic and commercial embassies and they are tasked to offer services to traders.

Meanwhile Ambassador of Senegal to Tehran Mr. Dieng, for his part, welcomed presence of Iranian traders and investors in his country and said that in a full coordination, embassies of both countries issue visas in the shortest time.

He then pointed to the efforts of the two countries for doing big jobs, adding that economic bonds can be one of those jobs. He noted that Senegal has fallen behind in terms of technology and few plants are active in this country and it is a good opportunity for the presence of Iranian investors.

Dieng reiterated that anyone who sets up a plant in Senegal will be exempt from tax and customs tariff, adding that there is an industrial park in Senegal which can be a special zone for the presence of Iranians and Senegal government provides ground for the presence of Iranians in this park.

Then Iran’s ambassador to Senegal Mr. Dehshiri, for his part, said that there are ten reasons for investment and trade in Senegal and said that the first reason is that Senegal enjoys a political and security stability and since its independence, the country has not seen war or coup d’etat.

He then said that the second reason is that economic growth in Senegal has been constant and the country has witnessed good economic progress, noting that the third reason is that this Muslim population and the religious closeness to Iranians.

Dehshiri added that by the way Senegal is a member of economic union in cooperation with 15 countries and having free trade with them, stating that this country is a gateway for entering 15 African states and by investment and production, one can enter those countries with zero tariff rate for its exports.

He then pointed to the experience of presence and investment of Iranians in this country, and said that Iran’s giant car-maker Iran Khodro has invested in Senegal and Iran Khodro products are used as taxis and Police vehicles and Senegalese people have positive view on Iranian products.

He then pointed to several fields for investment in Senegal like iron mines.

Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is a country in West Africa. Senegal is bordered by Mauritania in the north, Mali to the east, Guinea to the southeast, and Guinea-Bissau to the southwest.

The post Tehran, Dakar Explore Ways for Broadening Economic Ties appeared first on Iran News Daily.

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran and Poland in a trade meeting explored mechanisms to broaden economic relation which is not in a satisfactory condition.

Iran Chamber of Commerce hosted the trade meeting where Iranian businessmen and Polish counterparts, as well as  Vice-President of Iran Chamber of Commerce Mr. Hossein Salahvarzi, Vice-President of Polish Chamber of Commerce and Head of Iran-Poland Council Mr. Andrzej Pilat, Deputy Head of Embassy of Poland Mr. Wojciech  Unolt were present.

Addressing the participants, Mr. Salahvarzi pointed to the good and historic relations between Iran and Poland and expressed hope that trade activities between the two countries would continue strongly. He pointed to dispatches of trade delegations and signing several agreements, adding that unfortunately since 2017, the trade exchange between the two states has declined considerably due to the sanctions and expressed hope there would be enough determination between the private sectors of the two countries for return to the heyday level.

He reiterated that if the existing issues in the field of financial exchanges between Iran and Poland are improved through creating a special mechanism between the two states and Iran and Poland can reach agreement on restoring preferential tariff, then the level of economic cooperation will broaden.

Salahvarzi then pointed to the advantages and grounds for cooperation between Iran and Poland, adding that considering good potentials of Poland in the agro industries and agro machineries, rail transportation and locomotive manufacture, there are good grounds for cooperation. He noted that Iran can take advantage of Poland’s experience in the marine transportation.

He also said that mining sector is another ground for cooperation between the two states, adding that Poland is importer of organic chemical materials and considering that many companies in Iran are active in this field, Iran can be a supplier to Poland. He added that three are some talks between both countries on oil and energy and expressed hope both countries ca reach acceptable level of cooperation in this field.

Then Vice-President of Polish Chamber of Commerce and Head of Iran-Poland Council Mr. Pilat, for his part, pointed to the relation between Iran and Poland which has been growing non-stop since 2001, adding that this trend has declined in recent two years because of the pandemic and some other issues. He further said that he is sure that Iran is a good trade partner for Poland in the region as Poland will be a good trade partner for Iran.

He emphasized that the ties between both countries have good potentials to be improved, adding that the biggest problem is in the field of financial exchanges. He added that unfortunately both sides lost the financial mechanism which had been created some four years ago and expressed hope the presence of this delegation in Tehran would be a prelude for resumption of this mechanism.

Pilat stressed that the economic relation between Iran and Poland should continue without intermediary   and regardless of the political problems, adding that direct and face to face relation is the best way for advancing the goals. He stressed that Poland wants to have a deep relation with Iran.

Meanwhile Polish Diplomat Mr. Wojciech, for his part, pointed to the deep and strong political relation between Tehran and Warsaw and recent meetings of Iranian and Polish officials in recent weeks, and said that the economic cooperation between the two states has increased with full speed.

He then pointed to the initiatives taken by his country regarding its relation with Iran for more cooperation with EU, admitting that there are some problems like the revival of the JCPOA that Poland has no role in them and Warsaw supports resolving the problem through talks.

He said that in the future, Poland will have an attractive offer to Iran, but did not reveal its detail.

Meanwhile Head of Iran-Poland Joint Chamber of Commerce Mr. Rahim Moulaee, for his part, said that soon chambers of commerce of the two countries are to hold a specialize exhibition on Poland, adding that broadening trade and tourism relations as well as planning and creating the ground for traders of the two countries ae of the main tasks of the Iran-Poland Joint Chamber of Commerce.

He pointed to the necessity of developing tourism industry between the two countries, expressing hope that direct flight between Tehran and Warsaw would be launched because with the probable revival of the JCPOA, the economic relation would increase. He added that Iranian economic activists are ready to cooperate with Polish companies with an eye on developing exports.

Moulaee stated that the special office of Polish Chamber in Iran will be inaugurated on July 20, adding that in line with developing halal trade, Iran seeks connecting Europe through the corridor of Europe.

The post Tehran, Warsaw Explore Mechanisms to Broaden Economic Ties appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Iran’s Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Reza Fatemi Amin and Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zubairu Dada watched over the signing of the cooperation documents between the two countries during an a meeting in Tehran.

Local media reports said that the MoUs covered various fields, including culture, tourism, petroleum, agriculture, sports and trade.

They said that the agreements had been reached as part of a sixth round of intergovernmental committee meetings held between officials of Iran and Nigeria.

Iranian trade minister said the value of bilateral trade between Iran and Nigeria has witnessed a 300% growth within the last 9 months of the past Persian Calendar year (ending on March 20).

The value of trade between Iran and Nigeria reached about 125 million dollars, witnessing a 300% growth in the last 9 months of the Iranian year 1400 (March 21, 2021 – March 20, 2022), Fatemi Amin said during a meeting with a high-level delegation from Nigeria, headed by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dada.

Fatemi amid said, however, that an annual bilateral trade figure of $125 million does not match the position of Iran and Nigeria as two major economies in their respective regions.

He said launching direct flight routes between Iran and Nigeria will be a first step in facilitating trade between the two countries.

Fatemi Amin said despite the good history of cultural cooperation between the two countries, unfortunately, the level of bilateral trade is not favorable and needs to be improved.

“The two countries are members of international organizations, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Islamic Development Bank, D8 Group, etc. which provides the necessary opportunities for further development of trade cooperation between Iran and Nigeria,” he noted.

The Iranian trade minister also pointed to the economic capacities of Iran and Nigeria and said their economies can complete each other.

Fatemi Amin also called for drafting a roadmap envisaging economic cooperation between Iran and Nigeria.

“As the first step to develop trade ties between Iran and Nigeria, it is necessary to facilitate the visits by Iranian and Nigerian businesses via establishment of direct flights between Iran and Nigeria,” the Iranian trade minister concluded.

Meanwhile, Nigerian Minister of State for Foreign Dada described the bilateral ties between Iran and Nigeria as “long-term and cordial”, saying that his country attaches significance to the expansion of ties with Iran.

“Iran and Nigeria have already had good cooperation at the bilateral and international levels. Nigeria attaches great importance to its relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran because there are good potentials and capacities that if used, can serve the interests of both countries,” Dada underscored.

He described the participation of the Nigerian delegation in the 6th Iran-Nigeria Joint Commission in Tehran as his country’s “commitment to the implementation of agreements and contracts” with Iran.

“Despite the cordial relations between the two countries, the bilateral economic relations are not satisfactory, Dada noted.

“During Iran-Nigeria Trade Summit, nine cooperation documents were signed between the two countries in various fields of culture, tourism, oil, agriculture, sports, and trade,” the Nigerian official said, expressing hope that the Sixth Iran-Nigeria Joint Commission can pave the way for boosting bilateral trade between Iran and Nigeria.

The high-ranking Nigerian delegation headed by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs also had separate meetings with top Iranian officials including the first Vice President Mohammad Mokhber.

The Nigerian official hailed the resumption of intergovernmental committee meetings between Iran and Nigeria after more than eight years.

He said the presence of the Nigerian trade delegation in Iran is a sign the African country is committed

The post Iran, Nigeria Sign 9 MoUs to Boost Economic Ties appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The Iranian Chairman of the Iran-Italy Joint Chamber of Commerce Ahmad Pourfallah met with his Italian counterpart Giuseppe Zampini on Tuesday to discuss ways of expanding bilateral ties.

In this meeting, which was the first meeting of the two chairs after the election of Zampini as the President of the Italian-Iranian Chamber, the two sides, while examining ways of closer economic relations, emphasized the continuation of bilateral cooperation and decided to have more meetings and talks in the near future.

Zampini is the CEO of Ansaldo Energia, which is one of the largest companies active in the field of manufacturing gas and hybrid power plants in the world. Ansaldo Energia has built several such power plants in Iran.

Back in April, Pourfallah has said Italian companies are still eager to engage in trade with Iran and are preparing to return to the Islamic Republic market.

“Many Italian companies are preparing to re-enter Iran after the sanctions are lifted and, in this regard, we have advised the 5000 members we have in the Iran-Italy Chamber of commerce to be prepared as well,” the official said.

In the previous period, unfortunately, we were not prepared and could not benefit from the opportunity created by the arrival of various business groups from Europe, especially Italy and Germany, the official regretted.

“After the lifting of the previous sanctions, we saw the largest presence of Italian businessmen in Iran. Even the first high-ranking political figure to come to Iran was the Italian Foreign Minister, and the Italian Prime Minister also visited Iran; this shows how much Italy is interested in collaborating with Iran,”

“For many years, Italy was our first trading partner and the only European country with which our trade balance was positive,” he added.

Mentioning the potential impact of the lifting of sanctions on trade between the two countries, the official said: “It is expected that immediately after the lifting of sanctions, Italian companies and entrepreneurs will flock to the Iranian market.”

In response to a question about the number of Italian companies ready to enter the Islamic Republic, he said: “We do not have specific statistics on the number of Italian companies that have announced their readiness to pursue their activities in Iran, but all Italian and Iranian members of the joint chamber in Rome, which are more than 105 companies, are ready to resume their activities in Iran.”

Regarding Iran’s blocked resources in Italy, Pourfallah said: “According to the latest official data, we do not have a large amount of money blocked in Italy and the figure is lower than Iran’s frozen assets in many other countries.”

“We have never had a problem with Italy on this issue like other countries,” he stressed.

The post Private sectors of Iran, Italy stress expansion of economic ties appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Speaking in a meeting with Kazakh President Kassym Tokayev on Friday and on the second day of his visit to Tajikistan, Raisi described the developments in Afghanistan as a common issue for all countries in the region, saying, “Afghanistan’s problems can only be resolved through the formation of a comprehensive government with the participation of all groups that can bring peace and stability to the country away from foreign countries’ interference in Afghanistan’s affairs”.

Iran seeks to resolve the nuclear issue through dialogue, he said, adding, “Of course, as stated before, we do not want negotiation for negotiation, but we are looking for negotiations that lead to resolving the issues and yielding results”.

In this meeting, Kazakh President Tokayev, for his part, stated that his country was interested in strengthening its relations and interactions with the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially in the economic field, adding, “The transit lines with Chabahar as the center can be the lines of developing economic relations between Iran and Central Asian countries”.

Tokayev added, “Kazakhstan fully agrees with the views of the Islamic Republic of Iran and considers the formation of an inclusive government with the participation of all groups as the only way to solve Afghanistan’s problems”.

The post Tehran, Nur-Sultan Can Cement Strategic Economic Ties appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The participants in this virtual meeting reviewed opportunities for cooperation and expansion of economic cooperation especially between the private sectors of Iran and Tajikistan.

Tajikistan Ambassador to Tehran and Iran’s Ambassador to Tajikistan were also present in this webinar wherein more than 150 economic activists involved in.

At the beginning of the webinar, head of international affairs of Tehran Chamber of Commerce pointed to the abundant commonalities between the two countries especially in their language, religion and history and called Tajikistan as the closest country to Iran but he reiterated that despite such commonalities, the volume of economic relations between the two states have not grown as it is expected.

Hessamuddin Hallaj then said while the two countries are on the eve of the 30th anniversary of restoring diplomatic relations, Tehran Chamber of Commerce decided to hold this webinar to boost the knowledge of economic activists regarding the common trade capacities and reviewing the opportunities for cooperation.

He went on to say that unfortunately the total trade volume of the two states regardless of their trade via the third party countries is around $25m and the goal behind such meetings and events is to make the most of this opportunity for paving the ground for economic activists and tradesmen of both states.

Then Seyedeh Fatemeh Moqimi, a member of presiding board of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, described Tajikistan a country with capacity to become a big economic trade partner of Iran in the Central Asia and by referring to the close cultural and historical bonds of the two states, she said Tajikistan can have access to free waters via Iran’s southern ports while Iran’s access to Europe via Tajikistan is an ideal opportunity for improving Iran’s trade and economy.

She then pointed to Iran’s experience in the fields of oil, gas and electricity, and said Iran and Tajikistan have also high capacity for cooperation in the food industries, metals and tourism beside expansion of cooperation in the fields of implementing projects in oil, electricity and dam construction.

Meanwhile Tajikistan Ambassador to Tehran Nizomiddin Zohidi, for his part, pointed to 85 percent decline in the bilateral trade in recent years, adding that holding such virtual events, presence of economic activists in the exhibitions being held in both states and dispatch of trade exhibition for getting more familiar with capacities for trade cooperation are of the joint actions by Iran and Tajikistan for improving the level of economic ties.

He then pointed to the readiness of Iran and Tajikistan for signing several MoUs and announced signing of MoU on cooperation between Tehran Stock Exchange and Tajikistan’s Central Asia Stock.

Zohidi then reiterated that so far 170 MoUs and documents on cooperation have been signed between Iran and Tajikistan, noting that the legal grounds are very important for bilateral cooperation in trade and economy.

The post Tehran, Dushanbe Explore Ways to Boost Economic Ties appeared first on Iran News Daily.

During the meeting, the two sides explored some of the potential areas for mutual cooperation and called for taking necessary measures for boosting the level of trade to the pre-sanction levels and even higher, the ICCIMA portal reported.

Speaking in the meeting, Karbasi noted that Iran-Hungary trade stood at $200 million in 2018, however, the figure fell to $35 million due to sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

“We must try to reach the volume of trade to the 2018 level and even more,” the official stressed.

He pointed out that Hungarian agricultural products make up a large share (about 25 percent) of the country’s exports, suggesting that the ICCIMA and the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the embassies of the two countries, should organize webinars and face-to-face talks between the two countries’ traders in the field of agriculture to facilitate the trade in this area.

“Considering the export potentials of Iran and Hungary in the field of agriculture, it is possible to exchange a list of products and demanded goods in this field in order to expand collaborations in this sector,” Karbasi said.

He further called on the Hungarian embassy and especially the country’s commercial attaché in Tehran to take the necessary measures for facilitating the trade between the two countries and to boost the level of economic exchanges to the pre-sanction levels.

The Hungarian official for his part expressed interest in holding business webinars between the two sides and it was decided to hold two online webinars in the fields of agricultural and medical equipment in the near future.

Holding specialized B2B video conferences in the fields of agriculture and medical equipment, considering a preferential trade agreement between the two countries, bartering of goods and services and paving the way for the expansion of trade cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of the two countries, were among the suggestions that the two sides made for boosting the level of trade between the two countries.

The post Tehran, Budapest explore avenues of mutual economic co-op appeared first on Iran News Daily.

In meeting with Head of Iran-Uzbekistan parliamentary friendship group Gholam Reza Noori, the Uzbek diplomat referred to historical and cultural commonalities between two countries, saying senior Uzbek officials have always emphasized developing political, economic and parliamentary ties with Iran.

Cooperation on regional agreements and establishing a transport corridor for the transit of goods can improve the level of economic relations between Central Asian countries and other Asian states, he noted. He said both countries can complete each other in the economic scenes.

Meanwhile Noori, for his part, said continuation of consultations in international and regional organizations can improve economic relations between the regional countries.

He described U.S.’ cruel sanctions against Iran and COVID19 as factors in reducing the level of economic relations and called on the public and private economic actors in both countries to be more active.

Both countries have always enjoyed a positive parliamentary relationship, which can help develop ties in the political, economic and cultural fields, he added.

He expressed regret for the recent terrorist attack in Afghanistan which resulted in killing an injuring Afghan student, saying security cooperation between the regional countries, especially Iran and Uzbekistan, can help resolve tensions in the region, establish stability and security in Afghanistan, and fight extremist groups.

Last month and during his visit to Uzbekistan, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Islamic Republic of Iran can ease transit route for Uzbekistan to the global markets.

Speaking to reporters after his meeting with his Uzbek counterpart Abdulaziz Kamilov,  Zarif  pointed to the common history between Islamic Republic of Iran and Uzbekistan and stated that historical commonalities between Iran and Uzbekistan will expand and enhance preliminaries of friendship between the two countries to a great extent.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed issues of mutual concerns in the fields of economic, political, and cultural relations, strengthening expansion of bilateral ties between Iran and Uzbekistan and also regional cooperation regarding peace in Afghanistan.

The post Tehran, Tashkent Can Improve Economic Ties appeared first on Iran News Daily.

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Azerbaijan Republic seeking to develop relations with Iran. Consul General of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Tabriz said that his country is determined to develop and expand its relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran in all areas.

The post Azerbaijan seeking to develop relations with Iran appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“The development of relations with Islamic countries, especially Malaysia, which is recognized as a successful example in the Islamic world, is very important, and the expansion of economic relations between Muslim countries should be on the agenda,” Head of Iran Trade Promotion Organization Hamid Zadboom said in his meeting with Malaysia’s Dato’ Kamarudin Jaffar.

Referring to U.S. sanctions, Zadboom said: “Expanding relations and cooperation with friendly and brother nations will make these sanctions ineffective.”

the neighboring states will have an important role to play in the future of Tehran’s political and diplomatic relations with other countries due to the cruel sanctions imposed against Iran.

Border provinces of Iran have a vital role to this end, he said, adding that East Azarbaijan is of great importance as the province enjoys the appropriate commercial, economic and industrial infrastructures.

the development of cultural, academic, and scientific relations as other priorities of Iran’s diplomacy with Azerbaijan, noting that the exchange of students and holding joint conferences can be effective in the expansion of bilateral relations.

In this meeting, the two sides reviewed the status of economic and trade exchanges between the two countries.

They paid attention to the existence of areas and infrastructure needed to further expansion of ties and focused on issues of cooperation between countries’ fields of interest, including in the automotive industry, Halal products industry, tourism, preferential trade agreement, and etc.

The Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister described his visit to Iran in the current context as a sign of the importance of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Malaysia’s foreign affairs

Emphasizing the interest of Malaysian companies to invest in Iran, he said: “I hope that with mutual cooperation, the relations between the two countries will be further strengthened and the effects of Coronavirus in economic and trade relations will be managed.”

The post Iran Underlines Rising Economic Ties Among Muslim countries appeared first on Iran News Daily.