TEHRAN – In a meeting between Head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) and Belarus’ Deputy Industry Minister Haritonchik Dmitry Ivanovich on Tuesday the two sides discuss areas for mutual cooperation including the industrial sector.

As the TPO portal reported, the two sides stressed establishing joint production lines in various industries such as cars, household appliances, medical equipment as well as computers.

Speaking in this meeting, Ivanovich referred to Iran's experiences in economic development in sanction conditions and said: “We should use Iran's experiences and thank the Iranian authorities for providing us with their experiences.”

Mentioning his visit to some Iranian factories and production plants, the official said: “Iran's ability to produce advanced medicine is amazing, and when I return to Belarus, I will definitely tell the health authorities about this ability so that they can also visit Iran and explore avenues of cooperation.”

He also emphasized the development of a barter trade mechanism between the two countries and added: "In the field of barter trade, we are ready to start the process with several commodities and if necessary to change some regulations to facilitate the process.”

Further in the meeting, Peyman-Pak for his part emphasized Iran’s readiness to launch joint production lines of automobiles and household appliances with Belarus and said: “In trade exchanges, the important thing is that the trade balance of the two countries grows proportionally, and in this context, barter trade would be very helpful.”

Referring to the capacity of the International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC), he informed about Iran's readiness for the transit of Belarusian goods through this route and continued: “In the trip that I will have to Belarus in the coming days, a trade delegation including representatives of important Iranian companies and factories will also accompany me to hold face-to-face meetings with their respective companies and factories.”

Ivanovich, who visited Tehran on top of a trade delegation, met with Iranian economic officials and attended several business meetings during his stay.

On Monday, the Belarusian delegation attended a business forum hosted by Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (TCCIMA) in which the two sides discussed challenges and ways of expanding economic cooperation.

The event was also attended by Belarus’ Ambassador to Tehran Dmitry Koltsov, and Head of TCCIMA Industry and Mining Committee Ali Naqib.

During the forum, the two sides emphasized the need for the development of cooperation in the field of industry, especially in the machinery sector, as well as foodstuff, livestock, and agriculture for boosting trade relations between the two countries.

Addressing the forum, Naqib referred to the low level of economic relations between the two countries in recent years and underlined some fields including consumer goods and the industrial sector as potential areas for the development of trade relations.

He said the export of industrial products from Belarus to Iran, especially machinery, as well as food and livestock products, will contribute to the development of relations between the two countries.

The official also mentioned the recent developments regarding the joining of Iran in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), noting that this would be a great opportunity for the expansion of economic relations between Iran and Belarus.

In this conference, Koltsov also referred to Iran as a valuable economic partner of his country and emphasized joint production and technology transfer as areas for strengthening mutual economic relations between the two countries.

Ivanovich for his part stressed the need for the expansion of cooperation between the private sectors and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of the two sides.

He noted that the private companies of this country, which are considered among SMEs, account for the lion's share of products and services in Belarus.

Emphasizing that Belarusian industrial companies are looking for stable and reliable partners in Iran to establish long-term cooperation, Ivanovich said: “Joint production, assembly of products in the markets of both countries and exports to nearby markets are among the strategies of Belarus Industry Ministry in cooperation with Iran.”

EF/MA

Photo: TPO Head Alireza Peyman-Pak (L) and Belarus’ Deputy Industry Minister Haritonchik Dmitry Ivanovich