TEHRAN - Having over 500 kilometers of shared borders, Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan can use this capacity to expand their trade relations, Iran's Commercial Attaché in Iraq Naser Behzad said on the sidelines of an exclusive exhibition of Iranian products in Iraqi Kurdistan region’s Sulaymaniyah.

“Having two official border crossings of Bashmaq and Parvizkhan and the great interest in Iranian goods in the region would be a reliable capacity for developing the two countries' trade relations,” the TPO portal quoted Behzad as saying.

Pointing out the fact that currently half of the goods available in the Sulaymaniyah market are Iranian products, the official said: “food products, carpet, plastic products, machinery, building materials, agricultural and technical services especially in the fields of transportation, construction and urban development are important priorities for contribution of Iranian companies in this market.”

According to Behzad, Iraqi Kurdistan is following a five-year plan for creating industrial Zones in Sulaimaniyah for promoting local production, 100 investment projects are underway for establishing food, pharmaceutical, laboratory equipment, construction, apparel, leather, metal and electrical industries, as well as hotels and parks. 
He described Sulaimaniyah as the gateway to Iraqi Kurdistan and said: "Due to the stability and security of this region, it is possible to transport goods from this center to other neighboring provinces such as Erbil, Halabja, Diyala and Kirkuk and even other areas of Iraq.”

More than 150 Iranian companies participated in the exclusive exhibition of Iranian products in Sulaymaniyah to showcase their latest products and services in this market.

Back in December 2019, Tehran hosted a business forum between Iranian businessmen, entrepreneurs and producers and a delegation from Iraqi Kurdistan region, in which the two sides explored potential areas for expanding economic relations.

Speaking in the event, Mostafa Abdulrahman Abdullah, president of the Importers and Exporters Union of Iraqi Kurdistan region, praised the ever growing economic cooperation between the two sides and noted that annual trade turnover between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan could exceed $6 billion.

He expressed hope that Iranian investors would form joint ventures with Iraqi counterparts and collaborate in establishing joint production units in Kurdistan region.

EF/MA