TEHRAN – Iranian Industry, Mining and Trade Minister Abbas Aliabadi has met with foreign counterparts during a biennial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.

On the sidelines of the mentioned meeting on Monday, Aliabadi held talks with trade ministers from the UAE, China, Serbia, Ivory Coast, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Nepal, Qatar, Iraq, Oman and Lebanon to discuss ways of expanding mutual ties, IRNA reported.

During the talks, he reiterated Iran’s commitment to expanding trade ties with other countries, especially with allies like China.

The meetings were held as part of Iran’s campaign to join the WTO.     

Some 175 delegations are attending the WTO meeting in Abu Dhabi which opened on Monday and will run until February 29.

Speaking to his Chinese counterpart, Aliabadi said: “China is the largest trading partner of Iran and we are seeking the expansion of economic relations between the two countries as much as possible.”

The Chinese minister for his part stated that his country supports the expansion of economic relations with Iran, adding: “We have always supported Iran's accession to the World Trade Organization and we will continue this support.”

In this meeting, the two sides expressed hope to help deepen the economic and commercial relations between the two countries.

In another meeting with Serbia’s Trade Minister, he invited Aliabadi to visit this country and hold more talks to expand cooperation.

Aliabadi said he is ready to continue his role in the continuation of cooperation between the two countries as the head of the two countries’ joint economic commission.

Aliabadi also invited the Minister of Trade of Ivory Coast to visit the Iran Expo, which will be held in Tehran in April.

The WTO’s 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) was launched in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, on Monday to review the functioning of the multilateral trading system and take action on the future work of the organization.

Established in 1995, WTO is tasked with monitoring and supervising rules and regulations of global trade.

EF/