TEHRAN– Head of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI) Alireza Payman-Pak said on Monday that his country will strengthen its cooperation in the field of Preferential Free Trade (PTA) with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)’s member states.

Referring to the recent visits of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi with the heads of Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s member states in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand, Payman-Pak pointed to the removal of obstacles ahead of banking and financial transactions among SCO’s member states and stated that presidents of SCO’s member states, observer members and partners raised constructive talks to broaden bilateral trade.

He put Iran’s export of products to SCO’s member states in the first five months of the current year (from March 21 to August 22) at over $9 billion which shows the active diplomacy of the country with member states of the Organization.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he said that President Raisi put special emphasis on promoting Preferential Free Trade (PTA) with SCO’s member states and stated, “In addition, Iranian President also stressed on taking advantage of transit capacities among member states of the Organization.”

He then pointed to the visit of the Iranian President with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of SCO’s Summit regarding the North-South Transport Corridor and added that the completion of construction operation of the Rasht-Astara Railway and also increase of maritime fleet in the Caspian Sea as well as the development of northern ports of the Caspian Sea were of the other issues discussed between the two presidents.

With the coordination made in this regard, it was decided that Iran would export medical equipment, biotechnology medicines, and health-based tourism services to the SCO’s member states, he added.

 

‘Iran to Become SCO’s 

Transit Gateway’

 

On Sunday, Majidreza Hariri, the chairman of Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce, said that Iran will become the transit gateway of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Hariri made the comments in an interview with Iranian media and stated that the geographical location of Iran lays the ground for considering Iran as a western gate of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and can be a transit route connecting member countries of the Organization.

Stating that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was established with the military and security goals, he put the current number of its members at eight.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Hariri pointed to the trade relations of the member countries of SCO, and noted that Russia and China do their trade exchanges with their national currency, so that Iran can take advantage of this method and opportunity, because, this Organization provides a lot of potentials to create opportunities for cooperation.

India and China are recognized as highly energy-consuming countries, and Iran and Russia possess the largest fossil fuel reserves which will make energy transactions easier by establishing cooperation through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Hariri emphasized.

In addition, Russia and China have bilateral exchanges with each other, which provides the basis for the development of relations between the member countries, the Chairman of Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce added.