President of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam Hossein Shafei underlined the necessity for Iran and Kyrgyzstan to remove obstacles on the way of transportation cooperation.
In a meeting in Tehran on Sunday with the Head of the Kyrgyzstan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Temir Sariyev, Shafei expressed dissatisfaction with the volume of trade between Iran and Kyrgyzstan, noting that bilateral trade between the two countries accounts for an insignificant 1% of Kyrgyzstan’s foreign trade.
He said that the Iranian private sector actors are eager to do more trade with Kyrgyzstan and invest in the country.
Referring to a recent free trade agreement between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Iran Chamber of Commerce president said that once the agreement comes into effect, it will enable Iran and Kyrgyzstan to develop more enhanced cooperation.
In addition to the Western sanctions on Tehran and the problems on the way of financial problems, poor transportation is another factor hindering trade between Tehran and Bishkek, Shafei said.
He noted that China can gain access to the Sea of Oman and Persian Gulf through Iran and Kyrgyzstan, a transit route which will benefit the two countries.
The Kyrgyzstan Chamber of Commerce chief, who is in the Iranian capital to attend the Iran Expo 2023, said in the meeting that representatives from 42 Kyrgyz companies are accompanying him in his Tehran trip who are looking for Iranian investors and customers for their products in Iran.
Sariyev noted that the sanctions have always been a source of concern but trade will also find its way.
The construction of a railway project joining China, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Iran will be discussed in an upcoming meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), he said, adding that the railway will later join the countries to Turkey and Europe.