TEHRAN – Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (TCCIMA), and Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) held an Iran-Pakistan business forum via webinar on Tuesday.
During the online event, the two sides conferred on the expansion of economic ties and expressed readiness for the implementation of a free trade agreement between the two countries, TCCIMA portal reported.
In this regard, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Tehran Rahim Hayat Qureshi stressed his country’s efforts to finalize the free trade agreement, and the TCCIMA Head Masoud Khansari called the agreement an important step towards the $3-billion goal in trade relations between the two countries.
The webinar was also an opportunity for the two countries’ business owners active in various areas including energy, tourism, transportation, food, agriculture, pharmaceutical, health, clothing, textile, and leather to share ideas and explore collaborative capacities.
Speaking in the event, Khansari pointed to the barter trade as a good solution for the current problems in the way of expanding the trade relations between the two sides and noted that the two sides are working on the matter.
He announced the formation of a joint working group between the private sectors of the two countries to identify obstacles and challenges in the way of trade between the two countries and to eliminate them.
“By establishing dialogue and sharing solutions by the private sectors of the two countries, achieving the $3 billion trade will be possible,” Khansari stressed.
Strengthening the transport infrastructure between the two countries, using the two countries’ national currencies for trade, forming joint ventures for establishing industrial parks in border areas, and finally establishing joint banks were among the solutions offered by the head of TCCIMA for boosting trade between the two sides.
Referring to the opening of the new border between Iran and Pakistan last week, the Pakistani ambassador for his part noted that the governments of the two countries are working to establish more common borders and border markets in the future.
Pakistan has a relatively large consumer market with a population of over 200 million. According to the World Trade Organization, imports constitute over 66 percent of Pakistan’s trade.
Expansion of trade with Pakistan, and boosting exports to this neighboring country is one of Iran’s priorities.
