Senior private sector representatives of Iran and Cuba underlined the need for expansion of cooperation between Iran and Cuba to give a boost to bilateral trade.
President of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce, Antonio Carricarte, and Vice President of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA), Hossein Selahvarzi, in a meeting in Tehran on Wednesday explored ways for enhancement of trade between the two countries.
Speaking during the meeting, the Cuban side said that the country’s chamber of commerce is ready to open an office in Havana to help increase economic and trade relations between the businesspeople of Iran and Cuba.
Carricarte said that the two countries can jointly produce products and export them to their regional countries.
Underlining the tourism potentials of Cuba, he said that some 3 million tourists entered the country this year and the Cuban tourism market is quickly growing.
Also speaking in the meeting, the vice president of Iran Chamber of Commerce said that economic relations between Iran and Cuba are lagging behind the strong political ties between the two countries.
He referred to the long distance and the Western sanctions imposed on both countries as two main obstacles on the way of bilateral trade.
Selahvarzi voiced readiness of Iran Chamber of Commerce to set up a special desk for Cuba inside the chamber of commerce to follow up on the demands of businessmen from both Iran and Cuba.
“In the new year, the Iran Chamber of Commerce is supposed to establish several business offices in different countries, and one of them can be in Cuba,” he said.