Iran, Oman set to enhance joint transportation capacities

Tehran, May 18, IRNA – Iran’s Deputy Trade Minister Alireza Peymanpak and Omani Minister of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology Saeed Bin Hamoud Al-Mawali in a meeting on Wednesday unveiled plans to enhance joint transportation capacities in an effort to boost bilateral trade ties. During the meeting, the two sides put emphasis on the expansion of transit cooperation between Tehran and Muscat. They also agreed to set up a joint working group on maritime transport to carry out research aimed at tackling the challenges facing the expansion of maritime cooperation between the two neighboring countries. "We placed emphasis on developing transportation infrastructure to facilitate bilateral trade between the two countries. It was also decided to set up a joint working group on maritime transportation to conduct research studies to find technical solutions (to tackle the challenges in this regard)," Peymanpak was quoted as saying by the International Affairs Department of Iran’s Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade. Establishment of Joint Shipping Company Iran’s deputy trade minister paid an official visit to Oman at the head of a delegation comprising both Iranian trade officials and businessmen from the private sector. During his visit to Oman, the Iranian deputy trade minister also met the chief executive officer of Oman Shipping Company. The establishment of a joint shipping company was among the major issues discussed in the meeting. The two sides also put emphasis on activating transportation capacities with the aim of boosting bilateral and multilateral trade. The value of bilateral trade between Iran and Oman reached $1.3 billion in the past Persian Calendar year of 1400 (ended on March 20), showing a 53% year-on-year increase. Trade Diplomacy The recent trip by the high-ranking Iranian delegation to Oman comes ahead of an official visit by the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to Muscat slated for later this year as part of the efforts to bolster trade diplomacy with regional countries. Since President Raisi took office back in August 2021, Tehran has increased its focus on boosting ties with the regional and neighboring countries. The Islamic Republic of Iran has international borders with 13 countries. Iran shares a total of 5,894 km of land borders with its neighbors, including Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan. It also has a total of 2,440 km of coastline, sharing maritime borders with 6 other countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Given its strategic geographical location, the Islamic Republic has enormous potential for promoting and facilitating trade in the region. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish