TEHRAN – Iranian Agriculture Minister Javad Sadati-Nejad has said the Islamic Republic is ready for expanding agricultural and fishery cooperation with Norway, IRNA reported.

Speaking in a meeting with Norway’s new Ambassador to Tehran Sigvald Tomin Hauge on Tuesday, Sadati-Nejad said: “The history of cooperation between Iran and Norway reaches more than 90 years, which shows the depth of relations between the two countries.”

According to the minister, Iran and Norway have previously cooperated in the fields of fishery, forestry, and rangeland management, and the bases are provided for the expansion of collaborations in such areas.

Sadati-Nejad further said the transfer of technology in the field of fisheries and fish farming in cages can be one of the areas of cooperation between the two countries, adding: “Iran has many beaches that are prone to aquaculture and considering Norway's experiences in this regard, we invite the country’s investors for establishing joint ventures, especially on the southern coasts of Iran.”

“In the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, we have a capacity of producing 3.6 million tons of fish in cages; we just need the investment and the two sides can cooperate in this field,” Sadati-Nejad said.

Elsewhere in his remarks the minister expressed dissatisfaction with the current level of trade between the two countries and noted that despite the long history of economic cooperation between the two sides the level of trade exchanges has been following a downward trade after the U.S. sanctions.

He further underlined some of the potential areas for trade cooperation and mentioned the exports of fruits and vegetables as an example.

“Per capita consumption of fruits and vegetables in Norway is 120 kilograms, a quarter of which is produced in Norway, and considering Iran’s great capacities in this area, we can work together to supply fruits and vegetables to Norway,” the official said.

“We also have dried fruit products that are currently exported and we can export them to Norway as well; the export of Iranian organic products to Norway can also be considered,” he added.

Further in the meeting, Hauge for his part expressed hope for the expansion of cooperation with Iran in various fields, saying: “Iran is a country that has high goals in the field of agriculture in the region, and we hope to be able to cooperate in the field of fisheries, aquaculture, and agriculture.”

“We know that the U.S. sanctions have created problems for Iran and we hope that the talks [on the nuclear deal] in Vienna will resume and end well… however, problems should not stop cooperation between Iran and Norway,” he stressed.

EF/MA

Photo: Iranian Agriculture Minister Javad Sadati-Nejad (1st L) holds talks with Norway’s new Ambassador to Tehran Sigvald Tomin Hauge (1st R) on Tuesday.