Iran Official Upbeat With Enhanced Trade With Turkey

Ankara, May 21, IRNA – Head of Tehran Chamber of Commerce Yahya Al-e Eshaq said Tuesday that the ground is prepared for further promotion of trade between Iran and Turkey. Al-e Eshaq is currently on a visit to Turkey at the head of a 30-member trade delegation. He made the remarks in an exclusive interview with IRNA after a meeting with representatives of private sector of the Turkish city of Izmir. Signing an agreement on preferential trade between the two neighboring countries will augment bilateral trade to the target of $30 billion, Al-e Eshaq said. ˈFortunately the two sides have agreed on a list of 120 goods to apply preferential trade on them.ˈ The official expressed hope that the agreement would be approved by both Iranian and Turkish parliaments so that it would take effect in the near future to speed up trade between the two nations. The implementation of the agreement would lead to reduction of tariffs on 120 commodities exported from Iran to Turkey as well as 120 commodities exported from Turkey to Iran, he said. Elsewhere in his remarks, he said his negotiations with head of Izmir Chamber of Commerce was fruitful. Al-e Eshaq said during the Tuesday negotiations with the Turkish officials, they vowed to remove the roadblocks for export of the Iranian petrochemical products to Turkey./end