TEHRAN – An official at the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI) announced a 20 percent growth of trade exchanges between Tehran and Kabul so far this year.
Speaking in an interview with IRNA, the deputy head of the TPOI for international business promotion affairs said the organization is ready to carry out joint projects for renovating and developing Afghanistan.
Muhammad Sadegh Ghannadzadeh noted that the two countries share political, historical and cultural commonalities, and also in the fields of trade and economy.
He put the value of trade exchanges between the two countries in 2022 at more than $970 million.
According to the statistics, the trade exchanges between Tehran and Kabul in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21 to September 22, 2023) have registered between 15 and 20 percent growth compared to the same period last year, Ghannadzadeh highlighted.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the deputy TPOI pointed to the signing of a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between the two countries and added that his organization is pursuing the signing of PTA in line with reaching a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
The spread of the political instability in Afghanistan and the lack of provision of infrastructure are among the obstacles in the path of economic cooperation between the two countries, he said, adding that once these problems are resolved, attaining $3 billion worth of trade is achievable.
The TPOI is ready to increase the volume of joint projects by exporting technical and engineering services to this country, he added.