Official: Iran, Japan need to promote decades-old trade ties

Tokyo, Dec 7, IRNA – Chairman of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture Gholamhossein Shafei said Iran and Japan need to promote their 87-year-old commercial relations. He made the remarks here while addressing Iran-Japan joint trade meeting which is going on with the presence of the visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Zarif arrived in Tokyo on Wednesday morning local time heading a high ranking politico- economic delegation for talks with Japanese senior officials. Zarif visited India and China prior to Tokyo and it is the last and third leg of his tour. He is scheduled to meet with his Japanese counterpart, prime minister as well as some other senior officials. During his speech, Shafei regretted that despite long history of relations, the trade ties between the two countries have failed to properly develop due to certain political conditions. Outlining Iran’s potential and capabilities in many areas, he said the country managed to supply its own needs by relying on domestic productions despite the sanctions. He pointed to Iran’s high potential and capabilities in such areas as heavy industries, mines, engineering and transportation and said Iran is a vast country with big interest in foreign investments. He said one major priority for the Iranian government in post-sanction has been to attract foreign investments as it wants to make the country a provider of basic goods for the whole region. He urged Japanese companies to use the favourable situation created in Iran after the signing of nuclear deal in Geneva. The first conference on Iran-Japan trade started work in the presence of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and senior Japanese economic officials here on Wednesday morning. A large number of Iranian and Japanese businessmen are participating in the conference in Tokyo city. 1378/IRNA