TEHRAN - Director General of the Asia-Pacific Office at Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) says his organization has hosted a Commodity-Country Desk on trade with Turkey, with a focus on developing the exports of agricultural, foodstuff products.

In the meeting, which was attended by traders and businessmen active in the field of agricultural and foodstuff products, ways to develop exports to Turkey were discussed, Reza Seyed Aqazadeh said.

As reported by the TPO portal, food products, and conversion industries are among Iran's advantages in the global markets, including Turkey, and the Trade Promotion Organization manages the export development process by identifying the country's foreign trade priorities.

"It was decided that the issues and problems of Iranian companies and businessmen raised in this meeting would be followed up by the Asia-Pacific Office of the TPO," Aqazadeh said.

As reported, the Commodity-Country Desk on trade with Turkey was held at the place of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran in collaboration with the Iran-Turkey Joint Chamber of Commerce.

In late July, the chairman of Iran-Turkey Joint Chamber of Commerce said the coronavirus pandemic has decreased Iran’s exports to Turkey by 90 percent in the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 20) compared to the previous year.

Mehrdad Sa’adat said there is no reason for such drop rather than the coronavirus pandemic, adding that trade between the two countries has been fortunately increasing after reopening of the borders, and the traders are trying to compensate for the four-month drop in the bilateral trade.

“We are now witnessing some long lines of trucks at the border crossings waiting for entering Turkey”, he added.

Sa’adat had told IRNA on June 27 that Iran’s export to Turkey was continuing via the roads and railway.

He said, “The number of trucks waiting in Bazargan Border to enter Turkey indicates that Iran’s export to its neighbor is increasing, adding that Iran’s transit of commodities via Turkey has also risen noticeably after the reopening of this border.”

In early June, land borders between Iran and Turkey reopened after more than three months.

EF/MA