TEHRAN: Iran has underlined the need for paying attention to barter trade and transit as the basis for the expansion of economic relations between Iran and Pakistan.
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The call was made by head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA), Gholam-Hossein Shafeie, during a meeting with Muhammad Sheryar Khan, the Pakistani consul-general in Mashhad.
Gholam Hossein Shafeie also underlined the significant cultural and historical commonalities of Iran and Pakistan, as well as the opportunity of transit cooperation between the two countries with Russia.
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Emphasizing the need to develop Iran-Pakistan trade relations and especially the implementation of agreements related to barter trade, the ICCIMA head said: “The economies of Iran and Pakistan complement each other due to the proximity of the two countries, and they have significant capacities for cooperation in this field, the use of which will lead to a jump in bilateral trade.”
He noted that during the past two years, the government of Iran had taken new measures to develop economic relations with Pakistan, and efforts in the field of preferential trade and moving towards free trade have been put on the agenda.
However, he said, there were still problems in the implementation of these programs and economic interactions had not been realized as they should have been.
Speaking on this occasion, Pakistani consul general Muhammad Sheryar Khan said “I believe that the bilateral economic, political and cultural relations between the two countries are getting stronger and strengthening these relations as much as possible should be a priority for both sides. In this regard, we are ready to pursue any matters at the Pakistani consulate in Mashhad.”
