TEHRAN -- The director of the Arabic and African Bureau of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran stated the secretary-general of the Common Market of East and South Africa (COMESA) will visit Iran from Saturday to Thursday.

The Mehr News Agency quoted Seyyed Hossein Hosseini as saying that the purpose of the African official’s visit is to highlight Iran’s economic potentials and expand trade and economic relations between COMESA and Iran.
Hosseini added that expanding banking and financial relations, developing railway transportation, holding a seminar for introducing trade and investment opportunities in Iran and COMESA countries are some of the ways to enhance ties.
In addition, organizing an exhibition of COMESA countries’ products in Tehran, negotiating on preferential tariffs and free trade and exchanging trade and marketing delegations are other measures he outlined.
The Iranian official said that if Iran started trading with African countries, including COMESA, with zero tariffs this would in turn lead to the export of Iranian products to European and American markets.
He said Sudan, Kenya, Libya, Egypt, Djibouti, Uganda and Ethiopia are the most important trade partners of Iran among the COMESA countries.
COMESA is comprised of 19 countries with a combined population of 440 million. Last Iranian calendar year (ended March 2009), Iran exported $105 million worth of technical and engineering services to the region and during March to November 2009, $118 million worth of products were exported to, and $38 million was imported from the region.
COMESA has great potential in generating electricity, it has huge oil and mineral resources and is as Africa’s richest region