TEHRAN (FNA)- Director-General of Iran's Trade Promotion Organization's Office for Arabian and African Countries Farzad Piltan announced exports of about $2.5 billion worth of non-oil goods from Iran to the Middle Eastern countries over the past five months.
"Iraq, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Syria, Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, and Bahrain have been the destinations of Iran's non-oil exports for the past five months," Piltan said.
In relevant remarks in late August, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Gholamreza Ansari said that the neighboring countries account for about half of exported products, and stressed the need for the reinvigoration of border capacities.
"Since 47 percent of Iranian products are exported to neighboring countries, it seems that high capacities of border provinces should be used optimally in line with the increasing exports," Ansari said.
He underlined the need to use border capacities of the country to promote export.
Despite tough sanctions imposed against Iran, the country attained positive growth in export and the US anti-Iran policy, in bringing the country into its knee, has failed, Ansari highlighted.
Focusing on the export of products to the neighboring countries and setting up better equipment and opportunities to facilitate trade with neighbors are of salient programs of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the economic sector, he said, adding, “Export capacities with a focus on export of agricultural products should be strengthened and developed in Ardabil province.”
Productions should be made with the aim of export and in this way, the export of products in the agricultural sector should be supported duly, he emphasized.
Transfer of foreign exchange obtained from the export into the country is one of the major problems facing those who are active in the economic sector, he said, adding, “bartering goods can be considered as a safe way to settle the problem.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, Ansari pointed to the markets of Caucasian countries which have a good capacity for export of products from this province to these countries due to the lingual commonalities, and emphasized, “Drastic planning should be made for importing and exporting products, so that both the government and Parliament are a staunch supporter of export activities in the country wholeheartedly.”