TEHRAN - In a meeting between the head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) and a special representative of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), both sides reaffirmed their interest in enhancing bilateral trade relations.

According to a statement from the TPO, Mohammad-Ali Dehqan Dehnavi congratulated Nobutaka Maekawa on the 96th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Iran and Japan, and described cooperation between the two trade organizations as effective.

“We are eager to benefit from your expertise in the field of trade,” he said.

Dehnavi, who also serves as deputy minister of Industry, Mining and Trade, added that Iran seeks to draw on Japan’s experience in product promotion and supportive trade mechanisms.

Highlighting the Iranian market’s appreciation for Japanese quality, Dehnavi said Iran would welcome JETRO technical experts to help facilitate knowledge exchange.

Nobutaka, the JETRO special envoy, acknowledged the longstanding friendship between the two nations but expressed concern over the impact of sanctions on trade relations.

“We are truly disheartened by the current state of our economic ties and are seeking to revise our approach in Iran to achieve more promising outcomes,” he said.

He reaffirmed Japan’s continued interest in investing in Iran, saying the country’s motivation to pursue investment opportunities remains unchanged.

Nobutaka also stressed the commitment of both the Japanese government and private sector to engage with Iran, noting that JETRO’s presence in the country would be maintained to support Japanese companies interested in doing business there.

Also present at the meeting, Amir Roshanbakhsh, the deputy for international business development at the TPO, said Iranians have already benefited from Japan’s industrial expertise.

“We’ve built significant capacity in technical and engineering services. Training and technology transfer fall outside the scope of sanctions, which has allowed us to preserve and consolidate this potential within the country,” he added.

EF/MA