Ahvaz Chamber of Commerce in southwestern Iran is taking the necessary steps for opening a trade center in Iraq, according to Shahla Amouri, the deputy head of Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce.
She said that the launch of the trade center in Iraq aims to help introduce the export potentials of Iran, especially that of Khuzestan province.
Amouri is also the head of Ahvaz Chamber of Commerce which is located in the capital city of Khuzestan Province.
She said that Khuzestan is ready to receive technical trade delegations from different countries, including among others China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Russia.
Iran and Iraq plan to increase their bilateral trade from a current $14 billion to a target $20 billion.
A recently published report by the Research Center of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA), have explored ways for realization of this $20 billion trade target between Iran and neighboring Iraq.
The report says that in order for Iran and Iraq to be able to meet this target, a series of measures are needed to be taken by both countries in different decision-making, trade, transportation, training, infrastructural, banking and financial areas.
Noting that Iraq has been facing difficulty for the settlement of its debts to Iran as a result of US sanctions on Tehran, the report indicates that the Iranian assets in the Iraqi banks can be used as a source of finance for carrying out projects in Iraq by Iranian companies.
Launching trade centers across the world is one of the top agendas of Iran as Mohammad Sadeq Ghannadzadeh, a senior official with Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPO), recently said that the country has launched eight trade centers across Africa to provide services to companies which intend to be present in the African market.
Besides, Iran and Brazil have made the agreements for launching an Iranian trade center in the Latin American country, according to Fakhreddin Amerian, the head of Iran-Brazil Joint Chamber of Commerce.