TEHRAN – Iranian Industry, Mining and Trade Minister Reza Fatemi Amin has said all the barriers in the way of the country’s exports will be removed by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (late March 2022).

The official made the remarks in the online opening ceremony of Iran’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai which was attended by the heads of the country’s chambers of commerce as well as representatives of some export companies, IRNA reported.

“The government is pursuing the removal of export barriers in the form of 17 projects, including the establishment of trade routes with target countries and the design and implementation of value-added tax mechanisms,” Fatemi Amin said.

Referring to President Raisi's emphasis on economic diplomacy and economic cooperation with neighboring countries, the official stressed: "By the end of this year, trade processes will be facilitated in such a way that in addition to reaching our trade targets, we would also achieve new goals such as diversity of markets and job creation."

The official noted that the government is considering the elimination of some unnecessary regulations that are currently impeding the development of the country’s non-oil exports.

Mentioning the presence of Iran at EXPO 2020 Dubai, Fatemi Amin said: “The EXPO is an opportunity to introduce Iran to different countries and we have considered new incentives for traders who are interested in doing business with Iran in order to facilitate the growth of exports and imports.”

Expo 2020 is a World Exposition, currently hosted by Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. Originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite being postponed, organizers kept the name Expo 2020 for marketing and branding purposes. It is the first time that a World Exposition has been postponed to a later date rather than cancelled. The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) general assembly in Paris named Dubai as the host on 27 November 2013.

EF/MA