TEHRAN, Feb. 26 (MNA) – President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) Mehdi Mir-Ashrafi revealed the issuance of license for transiting Iranian products to Syria via neighboring Iraq.

Iran’s export value of non-oil products in 11 months of the current year (March 21 – Feb. 21) increased $40 billion, he said, adding, “transit of Iranian cargoes to Syria and Turkey via Iraqi land and territory will be implemented soon.”

He made the above remarks on Tue. Feb. 26 among customs officials of Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), deputies governor of Kordestan and Kermanshah provinces and said, “according to the World Customs Organization (WCO), delay in discharge of goods in customs even for each day will increase cost of products considerably, so that effective steps should be taken in order to discharge goods at customs in the shortest time possible.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Mir-Ashrafi pointed to the trade volume exchanged between Iran and Iraq and said, “statistics showed that Islamic Republic of Iran exported $40 billion worth of products to neighboring Iraq in 11 months (March 21 – Feb. 21).”

Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is Iran’s largest trade and business partner, he said, adding, “it is predicted that Iran’s export of products will hit $10 billion before the termination of the current year (to end March 20, 2019).”

He then pointed to 10% increase in transit of various types of goods to neighboring Iraq and called for the removal of customs barriers between the two countries.

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