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Sunday, May 19, 2024 6:7 GMT
Iran-Syria Joint Chamber of Commerce organized and held a conference on the business opportunities of the two countries in Tehran, the portal of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) reported on Monday. The conference was attended by senior officials from the two sides including the Head of Iran-Syria Joint Chamber of Commerce Keyvan Kashefi and the head of the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce Fahd Mahmoud Darwish, as well as the Head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) Hamid Zadboom.The security situation in Syria, the political and economic relations between Iran and Syria, trade opportunities and the commodity and services needs of Syria, the ways of presence in the Syrian market, the Syrian trade structures, Iran-Syria credit lines and money transfer strategies, routes and methods of transportation between Iran and Syria, and the Syrian government tenders and procurements were the main subjects covered in this conference. The attendees of this gathering especially stressed the need for focusing trade strategies on the development of the relations between the two countries’ private sectors.Speaking in the event, Kashefi presented a report on the condition of the two countries’ trade and pointed to some of the major potentials and challenges in the way of expanding mutual economic ties. He further announced that soon a database containing the main economic needs of Syria will be unveiled and provided for Iranian traders so that they would be able to prepare their business plans based on the demands of the destination market.Elsewhere in this conference, Zadboom pointed to the conference as a prelude to the development of Iran-Syria relations in the upcoming Iranian calendar year 1400 (begins on March 21) and said: "Ideological and political commonalities have brought the two countries closer together, but the existing opportunities between Iran and Syria have not been used as they should be, and level of economic relations is not favorable.”Darwish for his part noted that both Iran and Syria are under unjust sanctions and in an economic battle. He also called for the implementation of a free trade agreement between Iran and Syria, which was signed in 2011 but has not yet been implemented.Also, Director-General Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPO) for the Arab and African Countries Farzad Piltan said on Monday that Iran has a capacity of US$1.5 billion to import and export goods with Syria. Speaking at the ‘Conference on Opportunities to Cooperate with Syria’, he said: "The Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPO), in coordination with the relevant institutions, is trying to provide the necessary grounds for the development of trade with Syria”, adding that "Syria is one of Iran’s politically and economically strategic partners.” Iran and Syria must expand economic and trade relations, he added. He went on to say that Iran has a very high capacity for cooperation in the current situation in addition to goods in the field of exporting technical and engineering services.The Forum was set to tackle several issues that would reflect positively on increasing the Syrian-Iranian exports, including the cancellation of customs duties on the goods exported to Syria which stand at 4%, in addition to reducing the ban on exporting 80 commodities to one-third. - Tehran Times, Kayhan, Syrian Observer