TEHRAN- Iran is planning to dispatch commercial attachés to Germany and France by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 19, 2016), ISNA news agency quoted Reza Abbasqoli, an official with the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI) as saying on Tuesday.

Currently, Abbasqoli said, Italy is the only country in Europe that Iran has a commercial attaché in.

According to him, while Iraq and Afghanistan are among the top export destinations for Iran, the country is also aiming to penetrate African markets; in this respect, he added, commercial attachés will be sent by year-end to Basra and Sulaymaniyah in Iraq, Herat in Afghanistan as well as to Nigeria.

The official further noted that Iran already has commercial attachés in India, Oman, Afghanistan, Turkey, Tunisia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Venezuela, Armenian, Belarus, Pakistan, South Africa, Kenya, Lebanon, Italy, Vietnam, as well as Shanghai and Beijing in China.

In regard to countries that Iran doesn’t have political relations with, he said, the decision for assigning commercial attachés depends on high politics.

Last November, Abbasqoli said that Iranian officials have agreed on appointing commercial attachés to 30 countries, while it is still unclear whether the country will give the go-ahead to assign a commercial attaché to the U.S.

An increase in the number of Iran’s commercial attachés is not unwarranted as there has been a resurgence of foreign investors and companies, especially western ones, to seek trade avenues in the enticing market in the wake of the nuclear deal clinched between the country and major powers.

SJ/MA