Supported by Iran’s Ministry of Energy as well as Afghanistan’s ministries of commerce, energy, transportation, and industries, the exhibition will be held with the cooperation of private sectors of the two countries, Kashefi said.
He explained that about 50 Iranian companies have announced their readiness to take part in the exhibition, adding, companies from Turkey, France, Russia, Swiss, Austria, Germany, Denmark, and Afghanistan will also participate in it.
The exhibition will be held at the aim of Iran’s accessibility to the market of Afghanistan’s construction materials, he said, explaining that through this exhibition Iran’s private sector, while assisting reconstruction of certain parts of Afghanistan, intends to establish opportunities for presence of the Iranian products in the country and thereby the international markets of the construction materials.
Given the 30 million population of Afghanistan, the country requires construction of at least 500,000 residential units per annum, thus the importance of maintaining this market becomes more highlighted, Kashefi stated.
He added that concerning presence of other countries including China in the construction projects of Afghanistan, Iran’s private sector should launch its activities in the country as soon as possible otherwise it will lose it.
Meanwhile, Abdul-Hadi Farhang, the commerce manager of Afghan companies welcomed presence of the Iranian companies in the said exhibition, stating that people and officials of his country attach much importance to the construction and road-building issue due to its effect on commerce.
Pointing out to the presence of the European companies in the exhibition, he explained that Afghan officials are more willing to expand cooperation with Iran’s private sector, since cooperation with the European countries on construction and commerce is not economized because of high level of the transportation costs.
On the sidelines of the exhibition, technical commissions of experts from Afghanistan and other countries, as well as many of the projects’ tenders will be held, he noted.
Jahangir Soltani, the managing director of Iranian Naft Jahan Co. who is in charge of holding the exhibition as representative of Iran’s private sector also said that Afghanistan requires holding such exhibitions and definitely they will be held more extensively in the future, adding, religious and cultural commonalities between the two countries are among advantages of having trade relations with Afghanistan.
FK/MA
END
MNA