TEHRAN- The value of non-oil trade between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stood at $16.2 billion in the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-October 21), the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) announced.

Mohammad Rezvanifar said that the UAE was the top trade partner of Iran among its neighbors in the seven-month period.

In early August, the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in Tehran said over 122,000 Iranian business persons are currently working in the UAE.

“Economic figures show that Iran-UAE business interactions have increased in recent years, and more than 122,000 Iranian businessmen are doing business in the UAE,” Saif Mohammed al-Zaabi said in a meeting with Head of Iran Chamber of Cooperatives Bahman Abdollahi.

Pointing out that the problems of Iranian and Emirati businessmen and economic operators are not political but in the legal field, he admitted: “Cooperation between the two countries in the field of sea and air transport has also increased.”

Abdollahi for his part introduced some of the capabilities of the cooperative sector in Iran and said: “Cooperatives have an important and effective position in Iran and a significant part of the production in our country is done by cooperatives.”

Iran and the United Arab Emirates signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for expanding economic cooperation in a variety of areas at the end of the two countries’ 3rd Joint Economic Committee meeting in May 1.

The MOU was signed by former Iranian Transport and Urban Development Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash and UAE’s Economy Minister Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, who co-chaired the joint meeting.

During the mentioned committee meeting, the two sides stressed the need for further expansion of economic cooperation between Tehran and Abu Dhabi.

Speaking at the end of the meeting, Bazrpash said: “We have held the joint committee between the two countries after 10 years, which is an opportunity to develop the commercial and economic relations between the two countries.”

“The UAE, as Iran's second biggest trade partner, has great strategic importance for us,” the minister said.

Referring to the location of Iran and the UAE in the International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC), Bazarpash said: “Access to the markets of the north and south can create an opportunity for the two countries to cooperate.”

In the end, the minister emphasized solving the banking and monetary problems between the two countries to facilitate bilateral trade relations.

Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri for his part underlined the importance of the meeting, saying: “Holding today's meeting shows the development and expansion of economic relations between the two countries. After China, the UAE has the largest amount of trade relations with Iran. The trade value of the two countries has reached 27 billion dollars and many Iranian companies are established in the UAE.”

“Creating new opportunities for transportation and banking cooperation is one of the achievements of this commission,” the official said.

Referring to the performance of the UAE government in the field of investment, the official said: “The approval of the law on the formation of foreign companies and the government’s support for companies that operate in the field of new energies has created a good opportunity for business with the UAE.”

The 3rd Iran-UAE Joint Economic Committee meeting was held in Abu Dhabi from April 30 until May 1.

As the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) has announced, the value of Iran’s non-oil trade with its neighboring countries has increased 23 percent in the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year, as compared to the same period of time in the past year.

Mohammad Rezvanifar has put Iran’s non-oil trade with its neighbors at 64.5 million tons worth $41.1 billion in the seven-month period.

He said trade with the neighbors also increased by 16 percent in terms of weight.

According to Rezvanifar, Iran exported 51.1 million tons of non-oil goods worth $20.2 billion to the neighboring countries in the seven-month period of this year, while importing 13.4 million tons of goods valued at $20.9 billion.

Regarding Iran's main export destinations among the neighboring countries, he said: “Iraq, the UAE, Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan were the five main export destinations of Iran among the neighboring countries.”

“United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Russia, Oman, and Pakistan were the five major sources of imports among the neighboring countries in the seven months of this year,” the official added.

The official had previously announced that the value of Iran’s non-oil export to its 15 neighboring countries increased by 12 percent during the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-September 21), compared to the same period in the past year.

Rezvanifar said the country exported 39 million tons of non-oil products valued at $15.6 billion during the first six months of this year, registering four percent growth in weight year on year.

Iran's total non-oil trade with neighboring countries was 50 million tons worth $32.6 billion in the mentioned six months.

According to Rezvanifar, the Islamic Republic’s non-oil trade with neighboring countries increased by five percent in terms of weight and 15 percent in terms of value in H1 compared to the same period last year.

The country’s imports from its neighbors in the said six months also showed an eight percent increase in weight and 18 percent in value compared to the first half of the previous year.

The United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, and the Russian Federation were the main trade partners of Iran among the neighboring countries in the mentioned six months, according to the IRICA head.

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

Iran shares land or water borders with 15 countries namely the UAE, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Saudi Arabia.

MA