Senior business leaders from Iran and Romania called for greater efforts to enhance bilateral trade relations during a joint meeting, citing untapped potential and a need for structured long-term cooperation.
Qadir Qiafeh, Vice President of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA), met with Aurelian Gogulescu, Vice President of Romania Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in Tehran on Monday, to discuss trade prospects and areas of potential partnership.
“Our economies complement each other, but the volume of trade in recent years has not been significant,” Qiafeh said. He noted that the current trade volume stands at $348 million – an amount he described as “modest” given the combined GDP of around $700 billion of the two nations.
Highlighting the composition of trade, Qiafeh said Iran has mainly exported petrochemical products and construction materials to Romania, while importing auto parts, corn, and wheat. “However, the capacities of both countries go far beyond these sectors,” he added.
He emphasized the importance of participation by Iranian and Romanian businesspeople in trade exhibitions and proposed a five-year roadmap to boost bilateral trade to $1 billion.
Gogulescu, for his part, said bilateral trade surpassed $400 million in 2016 but has declined in recent years due to various factors. He expressed optimism that chambers of commerce could encourage business engagement by promoting participation in each other’s trade fairs.
Referring to past cooperation between private sectors in both countries, Gogulescu expressed confidence that Iran and Romania’s business communities could play a key role in revitalizing and expanding commercial ties.