During the joint meeting in Ankara, Iran’s Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mohammadreza Nematzadeh emphasized the need to develop economic relations between the two neighboring countries as well as determination of Iranian and Turkish presidents to reach 30 billion dollars of trade turnover saying “infrastructure barriers to the major objective need to be removed immediately.”
The Iranian official went on to enumerate obstacles on expansion of ties including lack of proper banking relations, insufficient supply or warranty of commercial and trade transactions which demand reinvigoration of banking ties by provision of necessary facilities for economic activists of Tehran and Ankara.
“One other major restriction pertains to rail and road infrastructures,” stressed Nematzadeh expressing hope that transport routes between the two countries will reach satisfactory levels in the near future.
On expansion of preferential trade agreement between Iran and Turkey, he said Iran’s ultimate goal went beyond preferential agreement as steps had to be taken towards inking of a free trade agreement.
Nihat Zeybekçi, Turkey’s Minister of Economy, for his part, deemed the signing of a preferential trade agreement as a positive step to bolstering trade and commercial relations between the two states though it will hopefully pave the path for formation of a free trade agreement.
Zeybekçi, while referring to removal of Iranian sanctions in the light of JCPOA, added that banks played a major role in expansion of economic transactions; “accordingly, all Turkish banks, state-owned banks in particular, have been urged to facilitate relations with Iranian counterparts.”
“Development of relations, expansion of collaboration and solidarity among various political, economic and cultural sectors could guarantee regional strength of the two countries and we are required to augment our power through synergy since weakness of one side will weaken the other side,” he concluded.
The two sides at the session also mulled over issues of interest in economic sector especially certain restrictions on goods export to Turkey as well as addition of items to the list of preferential trade agreement inked in 2015. It was agreed that experts of both sides pursue the issue and agreed items will be added to the list after receiving approval by Iranian and Turkish ministries.
Nematzadeh arrived in Ankara at the head of a delegation to hold talks on expansion of Iran-Turkey economic and commercial relations.
Iran has considered tariff discount for 125 Turkish exported items and Turkey in turn considered tariff discount for 140 Iranian goods exported to Turkey.
In recent talks between the two sides, there were discussions on addition of about 40 items to the list by the either party.
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