By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 24
Russia has opened a “green customs corridor” for Iranian goods, Asadollah Asgaroladi, head of Iran-Russia Joint Chamber of Commerce, said.
Implementation of the agreement on creation of the green corridor started three days ago, Asgaroladi said, Fars news agency reported Aug. 24.
Last May Tehran and Moscow signed a memoranda of understanding for establishment of a “green corridor” to ease Iran’s agricultural exports to the neighboring country, mutual administrative cooperation and exchange of customs’ valuation information.
The deal aims to lower the costs and simplifying the export of goods between the two countries.
Asgaroladi further said that Iran-Russia trade turnover reached $1.5 billion, forecasting that the figure will be doubled by end of current fiscal year (March 2017).
He referred to lack of banking ties between the two countries as one of the obstacles against boosting mutual trade.
The monetary transactions between Iranian and Russian banks has not started yet, he said, adding that the Central banks of the two countries are working to prepare grounds for carrying out transactions in national currencies instead of USD or Euro.
The trade turnover between Iran and Russia in 2009 was $1.2 billion which sharply dropped following Western imposed sanctions on Iran.