Question: What was Iran's trade trend in 2021?
Abedi: Merchandise trade with Kazakhstan in 2014 increased by 34.3% compared to 2020, and Iran's exports to this country increased by 10% compared to 1999.
According to customs statistics, last year, 26 million dollars of goods were exchanged between the two countries, and in the field of technical and engineering services, we exported about 200 million dollars, however, the trade of Iran's goods and services with Kazakhstan reached $450 million. at $500 million.
Question: What are Iran's main export products to Kazakhstan?
Abedi: Iran's most important exports to Kazakhstan are pistachios, dates, fresh apples, greenhouse products, building materials, paints, cement, chemicals, textiles and services technical engineering in the fields of mining, construction and agriculture.
Some Iranian goods have the advantage of being exported, but a small amount of them have been exported or have not entered the market of this country at all. Goods include agricultural tools, carpets and flooring, valves, chandeliers, medical equipment, etc.
Question: What are the problems of Iranian businessmen in trade with Kazakhstan?
Abedi: The visa was one of the issues that made the level of economic and trade relations inconsistent with the level of political relations between the two countries. In the near future, visa bans will be lifted for travel less than 14 days, which was actually one of the biggest barriers to business development.
Another obstacle to trade with this country is maritime transport, in which joint investment projects should be defined between the two countries, or the government should enter into certain projects because they are not profitable due to its inherent duty to implement these projects. routes by sea.
One of these projects is the supply of face-to-face ships. At present, due to the lack of face-to-face shipping, the transportation of goods is done with alternative methods and with difficulty and high costs.
Abedi: In the field of railways, we also face shortcomings due to the lack of wagons. On the other hand, the high tariffs of transit countries are an obstacle to trade, which we have reached during negotiations with the Kazakh authorities.
Turkmenistan has been blocked for two years due to the Corona pandemic, and Iran has restrictions on entry points to Azerbaijan for access to Eurasia, especially Russia and Kazakhstan.Supply ship face to face is an opportunity to deliver Iranian goods to Kazakhstan.
Turkmenistan also announced that foreign trucks will transit and cross the border with special instructions, which will have difficulty crossing several borders to reach Kazakhstan. Visa creates for drivers that the diplomatic apparatus must take the necessary measures to solve this problem.
Another problem with trade with Kazakhstan was air transport, which last year launched the Gorgan-Aktau and Tehran-Almaty airlines, which now operate two flights per month and are expected to reach one flight per week in the next seven days. flight from Mashhad to Almaty will be implemented.
Question: What do Iranian businessmen know about Kazakhstan's markets?
Abedi: Another problem in trade with Kazakhstan is the lack of sufficient knowledge of traders in the Kazakh market; This problem is expected to be largely solved by the establishment of a private sector advisory and marketing services office and the holding of an exhibition.
In this regard, the Iran-Kazakhstan Joint Chamber of Commerce will organize the largest exclusive exhibition of the Islamic Republic of Iran from July 2 to 4, 2022 with the presence of more than 65 companies and a hundred economic activists in Kazakhstan. -Almaty.
Financial transfers (money) are among the obstacles to trade.
We hope that the central bank governors of the two countries will find a solution to this challenge in a joint meeting. Of course, one of the solutions is to establish a branch of the Iranian bank in Kazakhstan.
Question: In your opinion, what is Iran's trade volume with Kazakhstan?
Abedi: It is possible that the trade between the two countries will reach 3 billion dollars in three years, and this year, with the abolition of visas, we hope that this amount will reach 1 billion dollars.
Kazakhstan's president arrived in Tehran on Sunday for an official visit leading a high-ranking political and economic delegation; During this trip, 9 cooperation documents and Memorandum of Understanding were signed between Iran and Kazakhstan.
Roll-on / roll-off is a water vehicle that has the task of transporting and moving wheeled land vehicles such as cars, trucks, trailers and wagons that are driven into the ship.