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July 9th, 2023 
Awake Goy 
TEHRAN – The acting head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (PMO) met with Vietnam’s Ambassador to Tehran on Saturday to explore ways of expanding trade ties between the two countries before the visit of the speaker of the Vietnamese Parliament to Tehran.
In the meeting, Mehdi Zeyghami and Luong Quoc Huy discussed various issues and exchanged views on the programs scheduled for the visit of the Vietnamese Parliament speaker to Tehran, the TPO portal reported.
As reported, the officials agreed to prepare a list of businessmen from the two countries and invite them to attend a business conference that will be held in Tehran with the presence of Vietnamese officials.
The preparations for a preferential trade agreement and a mechanism for barter trade between the two countries were also among the subjects discussed by Zeyghami and Luong Quoc Huy.
In this regard, the Vietnamese ambassador referred to Iran’s experiences in barter trade and asked for the transfer of such experiences to Vietnam.
Zeyghami for his part pointed out that five years have passed since the last joint economic committee meeting of Iran and Vietnam and called for the holding of this meeting as soon as possible. The proposal was welcomed by the Vietnamese side.
Back in May, a delegation of Vietnamese officials and businesspersons visited Tehran and attended a business forum at the place of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA).
The forum was chaired by Director-General for the Arab-African States in ICCIMA International Department Shahram Khasipour.
Speaking at the meeting, Khasipour underlined Vietnam’s growing economy and said: “Vietnam’s economy is growing and has experienced an eight percent growth last year, while the country’s foreign exchange has also increased by 10 percent in the mentioned year.”
He further mentioned Iran’s progress in the field of industry, technical and engineering services, and nanotechnology, noting that considering the existing capacities, the level of economic exchanges between the two countries can be significantly increased.
The official put the value of trade between Iran and Vietnam at around $140 million to $150 million, of which about $45 million is the share of Iran’s imports from Vietnam and around $96 million is related to Iran’s exports to the country.
Noting that the current level of trade does not correspond to the available capacities, Khasipour stressed the need to increase commercial cooperation in areas like foodstuff including tropical fruits, coffee, dried fruits, etc., as well as construction materials, medicine, marine products, and the export of technical and engineering services in which Iran has ample experience.
He stated that it is possible to raise the level of exchange between the two countries up to two billion dollars and added: “In this regard, it is necessary for the governments of Iran and Vietnam to provide the necessary infrastructure, including monetary and financial mechanisms as well as establishing regular shipping lines and direct flights between the two countries.”
EF/MA
Photo: PMO Acting Head Mehdi Zeyghami (R) and Vietnam’s Ambassador to Tehran Luong Quoc Huy
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