President of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam Hossein Shafei on Tuesday stressed the need for forming a joint chamber of commerce among member countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
Shafei made the remarks during a meeting in Tehran with Chairman of Russian-Iranian Business Council Vladimir Obydenov.
Noting that Iranian businesspersons have to pass through third countries to send their commodities to Russia, he said that removing hurdles on the way of bilateral transportation is the prerequisite for expansion of trade between Iran and Russia.
He also referred to a proposal put forward by Iran in a meeting in Astrakhan a few years ago which called for forming an economic bloc among Caspian Sea littoral states and regretted that the proposal was not widely welcome and paid due attention.
The Iran Chamber chief also said that the chamber, in cooperation with the government, is planning to hold a conference of the chambers of neighboring countries. He invited Russia to attend the conference.
Chairman of Russian-Iranian Business Council, for his part, said that relations between Tehran and Moscow are increasingly growing.
Obydenov said that a center has been formed in Russia for giving the needed commercial and legal advices to the businesspersons of the two countries and providing financial support where deemed required.
He noted that the center will accept the risk of the sanctions and also tries to serve as a linking bridge between the businesspersons of the two countries.
He also underlined the necessity to make planning for resolving transportation problems.
Obydenov welcomed a proposal by the Iran Chamber chief to form an economic bloc among the Caspian Sea littoral countries and said that both Iran and Russia can insist on this proposal in the next meeting of the heads of chambers of commerce of the Caspian Sea littoral countries as the measure could help find a quick settlement to the regional issues.
Spokesman of Iran Customs Administration Rouhollah Latifi has said that Iran’s trade with Russia stood at 3.5 million tons worth $1.66 billion in the current fiscal year’s first nine months (March 21 – Dec. 21, 2021), registering a 12% and 41% year-on-year growth in weight and value terms respectively.