TEHRAN- The value of trade between Iran and Azerbaijan increased by 13 percent in the past Iranian calendar year 1401 (ended on March 20), based on the data released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA).

Iran-Azerbaijan trade was $688 million in 14001, and $608 million in 1400.

Components and parts, tubes, aluminum, packaged butter, potatoes, heaters, non-electric appliances, non-powder polyethylene compound, special polyethylene compound wire and cable cover, polyethylene film grade with specific weight, and iron and steel ingots were Iran’s main exported items to Azerbaijan.

Milling machines, car gearboxes, gas generators for the simultaneous production of electricity and heat, lathes, air-generating units, presses for the production of chipboards, bending machines (presses), pipes, car engine control units, and sets of generators with compression piston engines were Iran’s major imported products from its neighbor in the past year.

As announced by the spokesman of Trade Development Committee of the Iranian House of Industry, Mining, and Trade, the value of Iran’s non-oil export to its neighbors rose 19 percent in the past Iranian year.

Ruhollah Latifi said that 75.184 million tons of non-oil commodities worth $30.537 billion were exported to the neighboring countries in the previous year.

According to the official, Iran imported 21.582 million tons of non-oil products valued at $28.305 billion from its neighbor in the past year, with a 10-percent growth in worth year on year.

Latifi, who is the former spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), further stated that Iran's non-oil trade with neighboring countries accounted for 52 percent of its total non-oil trade, exports to these countries for 57.5 percent of the total non-oil exports, and imports from them for 47.5 percent of the country's total non-oil imports in 1401, which shows the increasing importance of neighbors in Iran’s foreign trade and bringing foreign currency to meet the needs of the country under sanctions.

As previously announced by Latifi, the value of Iran’s non-oil export rose 10 percent in the past Iranian calendar year.

He said that 122.056 million tons of non-oil commodities worth $53.166 billion were exported in the previous year.

The official also announced that 37.18 million tons of non-oil commodities valued at $59.655 billion were imported to the country during the past year, with a 10 percent drop in weight, and a 13 percent rise in worth, year on year.

He went on to say that the country's non-oil trade reached 159.236 million tons worth $112.821 billion in the previous year, with an 11.2 percent growth year on year.

Increasing non-oil exports to the neighboring countries is one of the major plans that the Iranian government has been pursuing in recent years.

MA