TEHRAN - The trade between Iran and its western neighbor Iraq has grown 30 percent during the first five months of the Iranian calendar year (March 21- August 22, 2018), director of Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce Yahya Al-e Es’haq told Mehr news agency in an interview published on Monday.

“Considering oil, gas, and energy exports besides exports of technical and engineering services, Iran exports above $12 billion of goods per annum to Iraq and the figure can be improved up to $20 billion,” Al-e Es’haq, the former trade minister, said.

According to Al-e Es’haq, there is a long way for Tehran and Baghdad to go and there are several barriers including some bureaucratic difficulties.

Addressing the tourism sector, the businessperson said that “at the present time 1.7 million Iraqi tourists visit Iran and the same number of Iranian tourists, excluding those who visit Iraq in Arbaeen (the fortieth day after Ashura), travel to Iraq per year, i.e. the two countries can handle up to 4 million tourists, which will bring them a large amount of revenues, trade, and employment.”

HJ/HJ