TEHRAN– Germany and Italy have announced that they will support Iran in gaining the membership of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Germany’s State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Energy Matthias Machnig and Italy’s Deputy Minister of Economic Development Carlo Calenda in separate meetings with Iranian Industry, Mining and Trade Minister Mohammad Reza Ne’matzadeh voiced their countries’ readiness to support Iran to join WTO.

The meetings were held on the sidelines of WTO’s 10th Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, the IRNA news agency reported on Saturday.

Machnig said Germany is keen to enhance cooperation with Iran, yet banking and trade difficulties limit the expansion of bilateral economic ties.

Ne’matzadeh, for his part, announced Iran’s capability to receive Germany’s offers of economic partnership and to actualize the plans of collaboration.

Meanwhile, Calenda voiced Italy’s support for Iran to join WTO.

The World Trade Organization is an intergovernmental organization which regulates international trade. The WTO has 162 members and 22 observer governments.

Iran took part in WTO’s 10th Ministerial Conference, which was held from December 15 to 18, as an observer government.

Speaking at the event, Ne’matzadeh said, “After the July 14 agreement that cleared all the misunderstandings around Iran’s nuclear activities, we are taking the next step towards integrating more deeply into the global economy.”

Finalizing WTO membership, he said, is therefore a priority for the Iranian government.

The country first applied for WTO membership in July 1996, but progress has been glacial. The WTO began to consider its membership in 2005.

Iran has now updated its files detailing its relevant laws and regulations and submitted it to the WTO.

SJ