TEHRAN – Head of Iran-Turkey Joint Chamber of Commerce said Turkey’s trade center in Tehran is completely active and the trade is going smoothly between the two countries.

“Although there are small problems with money transactions but still we manage and the trade is going on smoothly,” Reza Kami told ILNA.

Kami noted that Turkish companies are willing to contribute to the reconstruction projects in the flood-stricken regions, saying “Turkish companies have a good history in manufacturing prefabricated houses, and in recent years we have seen that a few Turkish companies were active in Mehr Housing Projects." 

He further mentioned establishment of an Iran-Turkey special economic zone, noting that the two sides are determined in this regard but there are still some issues that should be discussed and resolved.

Mentioning the impact of sanctions on trade between the two countries, Kami said: “The Turkish authorities have repeatedly stated that they are not going to comply with the U.S. sanctions, but obviously the sanctions have created some problems regarding banking relations, and it should be also borne in mind that the entire region's economy is in recession." 
Earlier this month, Iran’s Ambassador to Turkey Mohammad Farazmand announced that Iran and Turkey are working on a financial mechanism channel to bypass the U.S. unilateral sanctions.

The ambassador said that such mechanism is aimed at preventing bilateral trade from falling victim to trans-regional players.

In late May, Turkish Ambassador to Iran Derya Ors said his country wants the barriers in the way of trade with Iran to be removed.

EF/MA