Turkish businessmen vying for trade with Iran

Traders and businessmen in Turkey attach great importance to their ties with Iran and would never accept to limit or lower exchanges with Iran even at the cost of their trade ties with Europe, a businessman stressed on Wednesday. "Turkish traders prefer their trade ties with Iran to their relations with the European states and are do not want to lose Iran's market," Head of Bizares International Company Khosrow Anvar told FNA in Istanbul. He called for the removal of the existing customs barriers, saying that the move will facilitate trade exchanges, provide further security for the two sides' traders and prevent trafficking of goods. In relevant remarks earlier today, a senior Iranian economic official also confirmed the growing trade exchanges between the two countries, and announced that the volume of trade exchanges between Iran and Turkey surpassed $10bln in the first 6 months of the current Iranian year. "Based on an agreement between the Iranian and Turkish presidents, the volume of exchanges between the two countries should raise to $30bln of which $10bln has already been materialized in the first 6 months of the current year," Secretary-General of Iran-Turkey Joint Trade Council Reza Kami told FNA on Wednesday. He reminded that the volume of Iran and Turkey's annual trade exchanges amounted at $10bln last year, but the two sides have succeeded in having over $10bln of trade ties in just 6 months in the current year. Meantime, he stressed that the two countries should still provide the ground to boost their trade ties and exchanges to $30bln. Iran and Turkey have in recent years increased their cooperation in all the various fields of economy, security, trade, education, energy and culture. The two sides have exchanged several politico-economic delegations during the last few months.