President of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam Hossein Shafei said that the economies of Iran and Indonesia complement each other, underlining the need for further cooperation between the two countries.
Shafei made the remarks during a meeting in northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad with Indonesian Ambassador to Iran Ronny Prasetyo Yuliantoro.
He said that many Indonesian products are needed by the Iranians and a large number of Iranian commodities have a good market in Malaysia as well.
Having the biggest Muslim population in the world and with an advanced and stable economy, Indonesia enjoys a significance place in the world’s political and economic equations, Shafei said.
He noted that Iran regards Indonesia as a gateway to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Shafei called for exchange of economic delegations between the two countries to help economic activists of both countries gain a better knowledge of the other side.
The Indonesian ambassador, for his part, said that this is his first visit to Mashhad and he intends to get familiar with the capacities of this area.
Yuliantoro said that his country is also eager to expand economic relations with Iran and believes that there are wide capacities for economic cooperation.
He called for holding a joint webinar by chambers of commerce of the two countries to identify the capacities for economic cooperation.
Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration issued a report late in September which said Iran’s trade with Muslim countries stood at 34.5 million tons worth $17.1 billion during the first five months of the current fiscal year (March 21-Aug. 22).
The report said that Indonesia with $458 million of exports from Iran during the five-month period was Iran’s fifth top export destination among Muslim countries after Iraq, the UAE, Turkey, and Afghanistan.