Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) has urged Netherlands to ease visa requirements for Iranian businesspersons.
Commercial representatives of the Dutch embassy in Tehran came to Iran Chamber of Commerce headquarters in Tehran on Sunday where they had discussions over more interactions with the Iranian private sector.
Speaking in a meeting with the Dutch diplomats, Niloofar Assadi, the caretaker of ICCIMA International Affairs, said that the Iran Chamber of Commerce is eager to further expand trade relations with key countries, including with Netherlands.
Assadi noted that the ICCIMA and the Dutch embassy in Tehran can cooperate on humanitarian areas.
She underlined the need for familiarizing the businesspeople on both sides with the potentials of the two countries and holding virtual meetings with the help of the embassies and the joint chamber of commerce.
Assadi added that the ICCIMA as the representative of Iran private sector aims to introduce Iran’s trade potentials to the Dutch side.
Sama Farkhondeh Nejad, the director of Europe Department of ICCIMA International Affairs, who was also present in the meeting, urged the need for the Dutch side to ease visa requirements for Iranian businesspeople having recommendation letters from Iran Chamber of Commerce.
Tsjebbe Paulussen, the first secretary at Netherland’s embassy in Tehran, said in the meantime that in cases the Iranian businesspeople have invitations from the Dutch companies, holding a recommendation letter from Iran Chamber of Commerce will facilitate the process of visa issuance.
Referring to arbitrary Western sanctions on Tehran, he said that the EU sanctions are limited but the US sanctions have been affecting the financial interactions between Iran and Netherlands especially as all the Dutch banks are present in the United States.
Paulussen said that the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries has been reducing over the past three years and the Dutch side is waiting for positive changes. He noted that if the situation changes, the Dutch companies will return to the Iranian market.