At a joint event attended by the 36-strong delegation from Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture and its Viennese counterpart, an Austrian official heralded the imminent improvement in Iran-Austria trade ties as banking channels are being restored.
"In 2016, a number of good agreements of cooperation were signed with Iranian companies while one-third of these deals pertained to countries that are active and have representative offices in Vienna," Anton Aufner, director of WIFI International, which is a training institute for economic promotion of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, said at the event.
Aufner noted that in 2017, Austrian exports to Iran have grown along with Iranian goods imported to Austria, TCCIM's website reported.
"We hope we can approach €400 million worth of bilateral trade in the foreseeable future," he said, referring to the level of joint trade before international sanctions were imposed on Iran, Financial Tribune reported.
"Our goal is for Iran to become one of the main economic partners of Austria in areas such as pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, information technology, energy and urban infrastructure again," he said, adding that the Vienna Chamber of Commerce will facilitate the entry of Iranian exporters to Eastern Europe as well.
It was announced in the meeting that Tehran Mayor Mohammad Ali Najafi will make a trip to Vienna as part of a delegation aimed at improving Iran-Austria economic prospects.