Iran’s Consul General in Sulaymaniyah Mehdi Shoushtari has said the Islamic Republic plans to open a trade center in the region for promoting Iranian products, IRNA reported.
A significant part of Iran’s exports shipments sent to neighboring Iraq ends up in Syria, says Keyvan Kashefi, who chairs the Iran-Syria Joint Chamber of Commerce.
Trucks lined up at the Iraqi Kurdistan and Iranian border as it partially reopened for trade on May 3, weeks after it was shut to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Tehran and Baghdad have been looking to augment their trade volume and consolidate their trade ties. New commercial centres will help strengthen local markets as well.
Zanjan Chamber of Commerce signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Erbil Chamber of Commerce and Industry that allows setting up a branch of the Iranian local chamber in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
The plan is part of Iran’s wider approach to promote ties with regional countries. Western neighbours are now the country’s economic priority following the US sanctions.
Sulaymaniyah was the second city in the Iraqi Kurdistan region after the capital Erbil where Iranian political and business authorities took part in a joint business forum aimed at augmenting bilateral trade.
Iranian and Irqi Kurds officials call themselves "brothers" and that comes from Iran’s consistent backing of the Iraqi Kurds in repelling IS terrorists as well as Tehran’s support during the US 2003 invasion of Iraq. Erbil and Tehran are now consolidating their trade ties.