BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 17
By Elnur Baghishov –Trend:
Technical discussions on a preferential trade agreement between Iran and Azerbaijan will begin in the near future, Iran’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Javad Jahangirzadeh said, Trend reports citing Iranian embassy to Baku.
The statement was made during a video conference meeting with Deputy Chairman of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Mohammad Reza Karbasi and heads of special commissions of the chamber.
The ambassador said that in addition, the establishment of a joint industrial park of Iran and Azerbaijan is in the spotlight.
Jahangirzadeh added that with the implementation of these plans, there will be an increase in trade turnover between the two countries.
Jahangirzadeh noted that Iran and Azerbaijan plan to increase bilateral trade turnover to $5 billion a year.
According to ambassador, the trade turnover between the two countries has increased fivefold in recent years.
"During the coronavirus pandemic, Iranian transit trucks used the territory of the country with the cooperation of the Azerbaijani side," he said.
“During the meeting, officials of the ICCIMA put forward a number of proposals to strengthen economic and trade ties between Iran and Azerbaijan,” the report said.
According to the report of the Iranian Trade Development Organization, Iran exported 900,000 tons of products worth $430 million to Azerbaijan last Iranian year (March 21, 2019 - March 20, 2020).
On May 23, Iran's First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri instructed the Iranian Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade and the Foreign Ministry to take steps to discuss, initially sign and temporarily sign a preferential trade contract between Iran and Azerbaijan.