The Iranian private sector is seeking to establish a zero tariff regime in trade with Syria, according to a senior private sector activist.
Keyvan Kashefi, the chairman of Iran-Syria Joint Chamber of Commerce, said on Sunday that some 22 Arab countries enjoy a zero tariff regime in bilateral trade.
He noted that if such a regime is established in trade between Iran and Syria, the Arab country can act as a gate for Iranian goods to Lebanon, Jordan and even the Mediterranean countries.
Iran and Syria already have an agreement of zero tariff trade which has never become operational, Kashefi, also a board member of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture said.
He said that Iran’s trade with Syria hit $218 million last year, nearly 90% of which were Iran’s exports to the country.
He however said that these figures come from official statistics while part of Iran’s exports to Iraq are being made indirectly via Iraqi soil.
Some 6-8 percent of what is registered as Iran’s exports to Iraq are actually bound for Syria, Kashefi said, expressing hope that transportation obstacles will be removed soon so as to carry out direct transit of goods to Syria.