TEHRAN – Uzbekistan capital Tashkent hosted an Iran-Uzbekistan business forum on Thursday, September 19, in which officials and businesspeople from the two sides exchanged views on ways of expanding mutual trade ties, the portal of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) reported.

Speaking at the forum, ICCIMA Head Samad Hassanzadeh called for more enhanced exchanges between Iran and Uzbekistan.

Hassanzadeh, who visited Uzbekistan on top of a business delegation, underlined the development of new strategies to strengthen economic relations as one of the goals of the business forum and emphasized the need to take serious steps in this regard from both sides.

“I would like to stress that in the new atmosphere of cooperation between the two countries, it is necessary to take serious steps to expand relations. Taking advantage of existing potential capacities and opportunities can guarantee long-term economic relations between the economic operators of Iran and Uzbekistan,” the ICCIMA head said.

Emphasizing the cultural affinities and friendship between the two nations and the interest for cooperation between the two nations and the two governments, he continued: “As in recent years, there have been three visits at the presidential levels between the two countries.”

“Currently, the establishment of the new government in Iran with the slogan of removing obstacles to foreign trade promises a new chapter in Iran's economic cooperation, especially with regional countries,” the official added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Hassanzadeh noted that achieving economic goals between the two countries requires providing the necessary infrastructure including banking and monetary, transportation, development of customs, adjustment of trade tariffs, and exchange of technical knowledge.

“Currently, our primary goal for this year is to increase our current $500 million trades to $1.0 billion, and we hope to achieve this by the end of the year,” he said, adding that “Countless economic capacities are available for the economic operators of the two countries, and this enthusiasm that is seen today for the cooperation of companies, needs to be taken very seriously by the policy makers and authorities of the two countries.”

EF/MA