Tehran-Berlin trade set to rise

Tehran, Dec 8, IRNA - Trade between Iran-Germany which currently stands at $6b, is expected to increase in the near future, said the head of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture. Speaking in an Iran-Germany Business Forum, Golamhossein Shafeie added that Germany can play a crucial role in opening the new chapter in Iran’s commercial relations with the international community. “Germany has been among the main destinations for dried fruits, carpets and pistachios exported from Iran,” he said. Referring to the strategies adopted by the current government to develop ties with the international community, the official said expansion of commercial and economic cooperation with foreign countries has been placed on the government’s agenda. Shafeie stressed that Iran plays a key role in regional economy and its situation is different from those of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Central Asian and Caucasian states. “Development of small industrial units, expansion of transportation sector, especially railroads and Iran’s link with Central Asia and open seas, are among objectives that can be pursued in cooperation with Germany, which has good experiences in these fields,” he said. The official said management of water resources is among the top priority of the sixth economic development plan (2016-20), for which modern methods should be used. Shafeie said expansion of bilateral cooperation in related fields can be among topics of negotiations between the two countries./end