PESHAWAR: Before strengthening bilateral trade, Pakistan should facilitate Iran in banking transactions to help our traders, Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan, Mehdi Honardoost said on Monday.
Meeting with the business community of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and office bearers of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), he said, “We are in the era of turning around our economy and Pakistan businesses should garb this opportunity.”
“Iran is a tested friend of Pakistan and we never want to interfere in Pakistan’s internal matters,” he added.
He urged the FPCCI to share information of businesses and businessmen with the Iranian Embassy so that they can be facilitated better.
The Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline project would be for Pakistan which needs to overcome its energy needs on affordable rates, he stressed.
Bilateral trade between Afghanistan and Iran during sanctions were $2.5 billion and comparatively trade with Pakistan was not more than half a billion dollar, he said.
“I am shocked and unsatisfied. In the last three decades, why didn’t you enhance further corporation with us regardless of what the other countries were doing?” he questioned.
The FPCCI office bearers urged Iran to allow imports of kinno and potato from Pakistan.
FPCCI Vice President and Regional Chairman Riaz Khattak said it was high time trade barriers were removed, allowing the two countries to become a strong economic bloc in the region.
He urged for the implementation of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) which was signed back in 2006.
FPCCI Chairman Standing Committee on Horticulture Ahmad Jawad said Pakistan’s halal meat and horticulture sectors hold immense potential for trade with Iran. He urged for business-to-business interactions between the two countries.
Vice President Islamic Chamber of Commerce (ICCI) Senator Ghulam Ali proposed a joint seminar to discuss bottlenecks which hampered bilateral trade between Iran and Pakistan.
He urged the State Bank of Pakistan to expedite the matter to facilitate banking transactions between the two countries.
The meeting was attended by leading businessmen, representatives of Mardan and DI Khan Chambers of Commerce and Industry as well as seniors members of the FPCCI.
Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2016
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