Mash'had, Aug 9, IRNA

Head of Mash'had Bureau of Joint Iran-Afghanistan Chamber said here Wednesday holding Specialized IRI Exhibition in Kabul must be used as opportunity for expansion of bilateral trade ties.

Mahmoud Siadat who was speaking at a press conference on the occasion of the Specialized IRI Exhibition in Kabul added, "Afghanistan has a special position among Iran's export target markets and holding such exhibitions are efforts aimed at country's export promotion policy."

He said, "Afghanistan's market is the best export target for the Iranian goods and keeping in mind that there are today 40 countries competing to capture that market we must try to get our fair share of it, and not to lose the opportunity and privilege of neighborhood."

He added, "Looking at Afghan markets should not be limited to consumer markets for Iranian goods, but as locations for business bilateral interactions, and holding economic exhibitions there would also increase the level of Afghan economic activists and specialists' expertise."

He said, "Afghanistan with its 30-million-Muslim population is in need of provision of appropriate opportunities for making investments, training, and transfer of experience, all of which must be at the focus of attention at the upcoming Specialized IRI Exhibition in Kabul."

The head of Khorassan-e Razavi Province Exporters Union further reiterated, "Partnership, making investments, and technical knowledge transfer to Afghanistan are of significant importance both for Iran and for Afghanistan, and the provided opportunities must be taken full advantage of."

He reiterated, "The Iranian investors and particularly those in Khorassan-e Razavi province can take advantage of Afghanistan's bazaar in collaboration with that country's officials on the one hand, and transfer the experience to the Afghan economic activists on the other hand."

He said, "Food stuff, energy, and fuel are the major demands in Afghanistan today, and they are also considered the axes for the expansion of bilateral economic cooperation at the upcoming exhibition."

The head of the Mash'had Bureau of Joint Iran-Afghanistan Chamber said, "Technical and engineering services, general services, consultant companies particularly in industrial and investment fields, agricultural and animal husbandry facilities and industrial machines are among the other requirements in that country today."

He reiterated, "The two neighboring countries of Islamic Republic of Iran and Islamic Republic of Afghanistan have long shared borders, shared cultures, and a shared language, and these all facilitate the bids for provision of the needs and the after-sale services at greater ease."

The Head of International Exhibitions of Iran and the Managing Director of Mash'had International Exhibition Company, Seyyed Mohammad Seyyedi, too, said at the press conference, "Over 95% of Afghanistan's needs are procured from abroad today, including from our country."

Seyyedi added, "Iranian products have a special status in Afghanistan from the viewpoints of high quality, observation of fine health indexes, and appropriate packing."

He said, "A vast portion of the Afghan people, because of having lived in Iran, are well familiar with Iranian goods, and prefer them to the goods imported from other countries."

Seyyedi said that holding the Specialized Iran Exhibition in Kabul is among the appropriate cradles for promotion of Iranian exports.

The Iranian official reiterated, "The 2nd Iranian Specialized Exhibition in Afghanistan is held around the axes of energy, construction materials, and food stuff, aimed at developing the two countries' business and economic relations and transactions, and fixing Iran's share of the Afghan market from August 29th to 30th in the presence of 63 Iranian companies at a 3,000 square meter area at Kabul's Uranus Hall."

He said that 40% of the expense for presence at this exhibition is repaid to the Iranian participants at it, by the IRI government as subsidy as an encouragement measure to promote the country's export to neighboring countries.

Trade between the two nations has increased dramatically since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001. Iran and Afghanistan plan on building a new rail line connecting Mash'had to Herat and eventually to Kabul. In 2009 Iran was the fourth largest investor in Afghanistan, which is mainly in the construction of roads and bridges as well as agriculture and health care.

According to the chairman of Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Iran's exports to Afghanistan in 2008 stood at $800 million. IRNA quoted Mohammad Qorban Haqju as saying that Iran imported $4 million worth of products like fresh and dried fruits, minerals, precious stones, and spices from the neighboring country. He said that Iran also exported oil products, cement, construction material, carpets, home appliances, and detergents. Iran imported nuts, carpets, agricultural products as well as handicrafts from Afghanistan. Afghanistan imports 90 percent of its needs, except agricultural products.

Afghanistan is a major opium producer, including hashish. Some of these drugs are smuggled into Iran and from there to other countries. On the positive side, the drugs were nearly wiped out in Afghanistan during the Taliban government in 2001. After the removal of the Taliban by the United States, Iran began to suffer from high drug use in the last decade.

© IRNA 2012