TEHRAN, Iran, Aug.17
Trend:
Iran and Switzerland trade has increased in last month compared to past six months, announced the head of Iran Switzerland Joint Chamber of Commerce.
"Iran and Switzerland transaction is mostly medicine and grains that are being traded via banking channels, although due to foreign currency limitations the volume had drastically declined last month we witnessed a good jump," said Sharif Nezam Mafi, Trend reports citing ILNA.
According to IRNA, during the first months of the current Iranian year, Switzerland was the fifth biggest exporter to Iran after the UAE with 4 million tons of goods worth $4.7 billion, China with 1 million tons worth $3.1 billion, Turkey with 1.3 million tons worth $1.5 billion and Germany with 351,000 tons worth $563 million of shipments.
"Trading medicine is still ongoing via existing channels although the following volume is not sufficient for country's need, the import volume of medicine has not significantly changed in past six months," said Mafi responding to the subject of importing medicine from Switzerland.
"Increase of medicine import depends on purchase power and foreign currency situation in Iran if the Central Bank of Iran provides foreign currency to importers eventually import of medicine increases," he indicated.
Mafi stressed that there are also problems in trade with Switzerland such as transportation and banking but it's unlikely to prevent medicine trade.
The official noted the effect of political changes in Iran on trade saying, change of government in Iran does not have so much effect on Iran and Switzerland trade.
He noted that Iran's economic problems are not so much tied to the head of administrations, but are tied to political issues, such as the FATF.
Mafi expressed hope that the new government looks at the economic problems only from an economic point of view.
“If the FATF-related bills will not be adopted, the country can not have banking relations with other countries,” he added.
The FATF is a global intergovernmental organization tasked with devising standards on combating money laundering and “terrorism financing”. Iran and North Korea are the only two countries on their blacklist.
Switzerland managed to find a partial solution to US sanctions against Iran. In February 2020, a payment mechanism for the delivery of humanitarian goods to Iran came into force.
Under the “Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement”, Swiss firms in the food, pharmaceutical, and medical sectors have a secure payment channel with a Swiss bank for their exports to Iran.