Iran, Cuba Ink Commodity Bartering Coop. Roadmap; Stress on Ports, Maritime Ties

Iran and Cuba signed commodity bartering roadmap in Tehran on Tuesday concurrent with 18th meeting of Iran-Cuba Joint Economic Cooperation Commission. In addition to the agreement inked in the field of development of industrial, mining and trade cooperation, a roadmap was signed between the two countries in the field of bartering goods. The cooperation document was signed between Iran’s Deputy Minister of Industry for Commercial and Trade Affairs Mohammad Sadegh Mofatteh and Cuba's Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz.

The Director-General of US-Europe Office of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran Mohammad Reza Karimzadeh and Deputy Head of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran for Export Markets Development Affairs Seyyed Ahmadreza Alaei Tabatabaei also attended the signing ceremony and emphasized boosting trade ties between the two countries.

Islamic Republic of Iran and Republic of Cuba emphasized the need for enhancing cooperation in the fields of ports and maritime. The protocol on ports cooperation between the two countries of Iran and Cuba was signed by CEO of Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba in Tehran on Tuesday in the course of Iran-Cuba Joint Economic Cooperation Commission.

In the signing ceremony, Ali Akbar Safaei, Deputy Roads Minister pointed to the policies adopted by Iranian government in establishing economic cooperation with neighboring countries and also those countries which share the same views with Iran’s policies in the international arena and stated that very good and important documents were inked between officials of the two countries, one of which is the signing of a port cooperation protocol between Iranian and Cuban governments. Cooperating with Cuba in the field of ports including joint investment in ports is one of the main issues of the document, he said.

Upon signing of this document and negotiations made in this regard, maritime trade between Iran and Cuba in the field of shipping and exchange of goods as well as exporting of goods from Cuba to Iran was developed considerably, Safaei continued. Development of maritime and port cooperation in International Maritime Organization (IMO) in line with securing the common interests of the two countries in international bodies was another issue that was discussed in the course of signing the cooperation document, the deputy roads minister added. He expressed hope that the two countries would witness a considerable boom in bilateral trade. - Mehr