TEHRAN – Iran and Japan have signed an agreement on customs cooperation, ILNA reported on Sunday.

The agreement was signed by the Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) Mehdi Mir-Ashrafi and the Japanese Ambassador to Iran Aikawa Kazutoshi in Tehran.

The signing ceremony was attended by the foreign affairs ministers of the two countries.

According to the Director General of IRICA’s International Cooperation Department Hossein Kakhaki, the agreement, which is prepared based on the model of the World Customs Organization (WCO) agreement, will provide the ground for mutual assistance and cooperation in customs affairs between Iran and Japan.

Noting that this document is the first agreement signed between the customs of the two countries, Kakhaki added: "By signing this document, the exchange and inquiry of customs documents between the two countries will be facilitated and accelerated."

According to the official, based on this agreement, the two countries' customs will cooperate in the fields of research, development, and coordination of new customs procedures, implementation of new methods for training of customs officers, and exchange of customs staff.

Japan has one of the most active customs among the members of the World Customs Organization and the country has a very high potential in the field of technical and technological experiences, he said, adding that the signing of this document provides the necessary basis for developing administrative, technical, educational and research cooperation between the two countries.

The agreement has been signed on the sidelines of a visit by Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi to Tehran.

During his two-day visit to Tehran, the Japanese foreign minister held talks with a number of senior Iranian officials including President Ebrahim Raisi and Hossein Amir Abdollahian, a former foreign minister who is nominated to succeed outgoing Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in the new Iranian administration.

Japan has been one of the top trade partners of the Islamic Republic in Asia, however, since the re-imposition of the U.S. sanctions the trade exchanges between the two countries declined significantly.

The two countries are once again taking serious measures for boosting trade as hopes for the revival of the nuclear deal are rising.

EF/MA

Photo: IRICA Head Mehdi Mir-Ashrafi (R) and Japanese Ambassador to Iran Aikawa Kazutoshi holding signed agreement documents in Tehran on Sunday.