TEHRAN- Iran and Thailand signed three memorandums of understanding (MOU) on facilitating cooperation between their private sectors during the Seminar on Trade and Investment Opportunities between Islamic Republic of Iran and Kingdom of Thailand, held in Tehran on Tuesday.

The MOUs were inked to foster economic, scientific and technological collaboration between the two countries’ private enterprises, the IRIB news agency reported.

Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, accompanied by six cabinet ministers and 200 businessmen, attended the Iran-Thailand trade conference.

Additionally, Valiollah Afkhami-Rad, the director of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI), Mohsen Jalalpour, the chairman of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) and Iran’s commercial attaché to Thailand Mohammad-Ali Pakseresht took part in the meeting.

During the meeting, Jatusripitak said business opportunities are ample in post-sanctions Iran, adding that information technology, nanotechnology, clean energies, power industries, education and tourism are among the fields in which the two sides can ramp up trade.

Afkhami-Rad, for his part, said Tehran-Bangkok cooperation could pave the way for expansion of relations between the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Meanwhile, Jalalpour said the trade between Iran and Thailand needs to exceed the current figure which only accounts for 0.5 percent of the two countries’ total annual business.

Speaking at the meeting, Pakseresht also announced that Iran-Thailand trade volume would surpass $1 billion in near future.

As well as sharing nanotechnology, he said, launching joint ventures, trading food, drugs and agricultural goods are proper areas for two sides to enhance economic relations.

Thailand was the 23rd leading importer of Iran’s non-oil goods in the past Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, 2015, according to Iran’s Customs Administration. 

Iran exported $162.973 million of non-oil goods to Thailand and imported $208.957 million of non-oil products from the country during the past year. 

SJ/

Cap: Mohsen Jalalpour, the chairman of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) is speaking at the Seminar on Trade and Investment Opportunities between Islamic Republic of Iran and Kingdom of Thailand which were held in Tehran on Tuesday.