Board members of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment attended the Tehran Chamber
In a joint meeting between the Afghan trade delegation and the Secretary General of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce and Investment, which was held in the presence of the Deputy Director of International Affairs and Trade Development of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce and Investment and the Deputy Chairman of the Civil, Construction and Infrastructure Affairs Commission of the Chamber, it was agreed to form a joint working group, exchange trade delegations and identify priority projects, especially in the field of civil engineering. In this meeting, a member of the Board of Directors of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment proposed to develop a 90-day roadmap to transform negotiations into operational projects.
At the beginning of this meeting, Fereydoun Verdinezhad, Secretary General of the Tehran Chamber, while briefly introducing the structure and services of the Tehran Chamber, stated that Afghanistan is one of the priority countries in the international interactions of the Tehran Chamber and considered it necessary to strengthen the relationship between the chambers of the two countries.
He continued: Iran and Afghanistan are bound to cooperate with each other due to their proximity and complementary capacities. Therefore, we must try to increase the quality of cooperation and move economic relations from mere trade to sustainable cooperation and joint investment.
Verdinezhad considered regular exchange of trade delegations and attendance at specialized exhibitions, including the specialized Expo exhibition in Iran, as effective tools for developing economic relations and said: The Tehran Chamber is ready to identify opportunities and form new cooperation by sending specialized delegations and creating a platform for the presence of Iranian economic activists in Afghan exhibitions.
The Secretary General of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce stated that “both countries have advantages that, if combined, will enable the implementation of joint projects.” He said: Mining, transit, raw material supply, energy, agriculture, construction industry, infrastructure and urban equipment are among the areas where there is a capacity for cooperation between the two sides.
Verdinejad also mentioned the possibility of Afghanistan’s access to open waters via Iran and then proposed the formation of a joint working group between the Tehran Chamber of Commerce and the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Investment in cooperation with the Afghan Embassy in Iran, saying: This working group should operate completely project-oriented and examine the problems of economic activists in the fields of foreign exchange, customs, transit and trade on a case-by-case basis and provide specific solutions for each.
He also mentioned the use of barter capacity and local currencies as possible solutions to reduce currency problems, and said: "Issues such as issuing visas, activity permits, and some regulatory problems for Afghan economic activists in Iran can also be pursued by the Tehran Chamber."
In the continuation of the meeting, Mira Jan Sulaymankhel, the head of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, also explained the structure of the chamber under her management, emphasized the need to develop economic relations with Iran, and proposed the formation of a joint working group between the two chambers to identify trade and investment barriers and provide solutions.
Referring to Afghanistan's economic capacities, Sulaymankhel explained that the country needs to cooperate with the private sector of regional countries, including Iran, to develop infrastructure and meet its market needs.
Referring to the volume of Afghan imports, he called it necessary to increase Iran's share of the country's market and said: Removing barriers in the areas of customs, transportation, currency transfer and other trade barriers can provide the basis for increasing exchanges between the two countries.
The head of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment also invited the Tehran Chamber to participate in Afghan exhibitions and said: The presence of Iranian economic activists in these events can help identify investment opportunities and establish direct connections between companies in the two countries.