President of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam Hossein Shafei has said that Germany should facilitate visa requirements, at least for traders, to help promote cooperation with Iran.
Shafei made the remarks in a meeting in Tehran on Sunday with Chairman of the Board of the German Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade (BWA) Michael Schumann.
Noting that Germany has always been Iran’s number one European trade partner, he said that Germany’s limitations for issuance of visa have been hindering economic relations between the two countries.
After signing a multilateral nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in 2015 (known as JCPOA), Germany was the first country that resumed relations with Tehran so that bilateral relations increased to 60% higher than pre-JCPOA levels, Shafei said, while adding that after a US unilateral exit from the JCPOA and the subsequent imposition of sanctions on Tehran, trade relations between Iran and Germany shrank by half.
The Iran Chamber of Commerce president expressed hope that the visit to Iran by the German delegation would help activate trade potentials of both sides for further cooperation.
He believed that Iran’s special geographical position and its linking ways to many Central Asian countries, Afghanistan, and Pakistan can provide Germany with a unique chance to boost its trade with regional countries.
Noting that auto-making, agriculture and education are among major areas for cooperation between Iran and Germany, Shafei said that Iran is turning into an auto-making hub of the region and is also in dire need of modern agriculture due to drought and limited water resources.
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The BWA chief, for his part, said that German businesses are looking to expand their partnerships with Iranian counterparts.
Schumann said BWA represents more than 1,300 companies and research institutes in Germany, adding that the body’s responsibility is to help German businesses engage in partnerships with companies around the world and to provide support for international companies willing to invest and work in Germany.
He told Shafei that the BWA will seek to facilitate the granting of visas to Iranian businesses for attending events and business meetings in Germany.