TEHRAN: The mutual trade turnover between Iran and Russia increased by 80 percent and amounted to more than $2 billion in 2016, Zamir Kabulov, head of the second Asian department of Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in an interview with TASS. “The dismantling of anti-Iranian sanctions has opened up new prospects for the development of cooperation between our two countries, especially in trade, economic and financial areas. One of our common important tasks is to create conditions for accelerated growth of bilateral trade and investment ties. Over the past year together we have made significant progress in such important areas as simplification of visa regime, promotion and protection of investments, promotion and expansion of the range of goods deliveries, including reduction of import tariffs and establishment of customs “green corridor” that allows us to simplify the procedures for mutual deliveries of goods,” Kabulov said. The ministry’s official stresses that Iranian fruit and vegetables have already been sold on the Russian market for a long time. Now the Agriculture Ministry is working with Iranian partners on expansion of range of mutual deliveries of agricultural products. “Recently a number of Iranian companies interested in selling their meat and dairy products, eggs, poultry and seafood in Russia, have been approved,” Kabulov said.
According to him, Russian companies also receive similar licenses from Iranian authorities. Underlining that creation of a free trade zone between Iran and Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) could give a serious impetus to the development of bilateral economic ties, he added that “there are talks on the parameters of such an agreement. On the level of the Eurasian Economic Commission it has been decided already to lower import duties on a number of agricultural goods from Iran, including pistachio nuts, dates and raisins.” Eurasian Economic Union includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.
