Iran's VP Highlights "Active Interaction" with World Countries
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran has made big strides in promoting trade ties with foreign countries, vice president said, adding that initiatives will be taken to stimulate private investment in other states, particularly in the neighbors.
In a Wednesday meeting with heads of major Iranian holding companies and investors, Eshaq Jahangiri said Iran pursues “active interaction” with the world countries as part of efforts to boost non-oil exports.
“Iraq, for instance, with its $100 billion income, is now a good market and ground for Iran's activity,” the official said.
He added that the Iranian economic activists can play a “serious and essential” role in the engineering projects in the Arab country.
The vice president had earlier announced that Iran and Iraq should draw up a plan to raise the volume of their annual trade exchanges to $20bln.
The volume of trade exchange between the two Muslim neighbors reached about $12 billion in 2013, making the Arab country one of Iran’s top five trading partners.
In Iran’s non-oil trade, Iraq is the most significant export market. These exports include light industrial products, foodstuffs, consumer goods, construction materials and electricity.
Jahangiri noted that Iran is also involved in trade interaction with Russia and Turkmenistan.
President Rouhani insists that Iranian companies should embark on economic projects in Turkmenistan as a way to pay for the gas that Iran purchases from its northeastern neighbor, Jahangiri added.
