TEHRAN- Central Bank of Iran Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati met some Iraqi senior officials during a visit to Baghdad to explore the ways for the expansion of banking relations between the two countries, IRIB reported.

Hemmati met Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi on Monday, Iraqi Finance Minister Fuad Mohammed Hussein and Central Bank of Iraq Chairman Ali Mohsen Al-Allaq on Sunday.

Iran and Iraq are determined to boost their trade ties and to meet this target many officials and delegations from each side have been recently visited the other side.

Heading a high-ranking economic and political delegation, Iraqi Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi visited Iran on April 6 and 7. The visit came after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s landmark visit to Iraq in March.

During their stay in Tehran, the Iraqi officials met their Iranian counterparts to discuss different areas of cooperation between the two neighbors.

In that visit, an Iran-Iraq business forum was also held at the place of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA).

During the business forum, the two sides called for further expansion of the trade ties between the two countries.

During the stay of Iraqi delegation in Iran, CBI governor met Iraqi Finance Minister Fuad Mohammed Hussein.

On the sidelines of his meeting with the Iraqi official, Hemmati said that Iran-Iraq banking relations would be eased to lubricate transactions between the two countries’ businessmen.

He said that regarding the ever increasing trade transactions between the two sides and Iran’s exports of gas and oil to Iraq besides Iranian private sector’s exports to the country, the exports value from Iran to Iraq has increased recently up to $12 billion per year.

“There are some banking difficulties about which negotiations were made with the Iraqi minister today and as accorded, to ease Iranian tradesmen’s activities in Iraq the impediments will be removed soon”, CBI governor said.

At that time, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi agreed on the future visit of Hemmati to Iraq with the aim of finalizing and implementing financial and banking agreements between Iran and Iraq. 

Hemmati had visited Iraq last year to talk on using local currencies between the two countries. 

MA/MA