Iran Trade Exhibition to Be Held in Malaysia
The exhibition is organized by the Iran International Exhibition Center under of the Ministry of Commerce. It will be inaugurated jointly by the Iranian Cooperative Minister Morteza Haji and the Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar.
More than 30 companies from Iran will participate in the fair. The products to be put on display will include industrial machines, steel and iron products, hand and machine-made carpets, food and beverages, fruits, chandeliers, chinawares and melamine, home appliances, automative spare parts, handicrafts, decorative stones and mineral products.
Majid Raeissinia, trade counsellor of the Iranian Embassy here, said the exhibition will bring together businessmen from the two countries.
"At present, we do not have enough information about our business potential."
"This exhibition will give an opportunity and venue for entrepreneurs, traders to exchange ideas and views on how to foster closer economic relations between our two friendly countries," Raeissinia told a news conference here.
He said Iran has much to offer, especially fresh vegetables and fruits.
"With Malaysia's expertise, particularly in packaging, we can promote our products jointly in third countries," the counsellor said.
He said Iran's strategic position --the country's vastness and its desirable and good infrastructure with 15 neighboring countries around it-- would enable Malaysian companies to penetrate the Central Asian market.
Raeissinia said Malaysia's leading port, Port Klang, could play a useful role in distributing goods to countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) through its excellent distribution network in Bandar Abbas.
The last Iranian exhibition held in Malaysia was in 1995.
The counsellor said the forth fair is expected to attract large visitors, especially businessmen from the two countries.
"We hold high expectations from the exhibition as we expect several deals to be signed between Iranian and Malaysian companies," he stressed.
The two-way trade volume of the two countries in 1991 stood at $66 million (Malaysia's exports to Iran $48 million and imports from Iran $18 million) which, in the year 2000 (11 months), reached $201 million (Malaysia's exports to Iran $103 million and imports from Iran $98 million).
Iranian exports to Malaysia include crude oil, petroleum derivatives, industrial alcohol, chemical materials, aluminum and alloys, stone and building-construction materials and dried fruits such as dates, while major imports were rubber, margarine and fats, palm oil, plastics, textile yarn and other goods.
Asked whether he was happy with the present trade level between the two countries, Raeissinia replied: "I am personally not satisfied as I feel there is considerable room for improvement."
(IRNA)