Iran, safe way for Vietnam to reach a 400 million market: Trade official

Shafei made the remarks in a meeting held on Friday with Nguyen Thành Phong, Chairman of People's Committee in Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city in Vietnam.

Iran can be a safe gateway for Vietnam to reach the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the Central Asia region, Caucasus, Afghanistan and Iraq, Shafei said in the meeting.

Instead, he noted, Hanoi can be a gateway for Iran to enter the world’s fifth-largest economic bloc that is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The senior trade official went on to say that Vietnam is one of Iranian government’s economic targets in new conditions.

Referring to the trip of the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Hanoi in October, 2016, and the visit of his Vietnamese counterpart Truong Tan Sang to Tehran in March at the same year, Shafei said that the meetings led to 22 percent increase in trade exchange between the two countries.

Shafei noted that the two presidents have stressed the importance of reaching a two-billion-dollar economic cooperation.

Iran, he stressed, is seeking an effective economic cooperation in the region.

For his part, the Vietnamese side said that his country is willing to widen ties with Iran.

Thành Phong added that he is committed to provide the appropriate ground for the presence of Iranian companies in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City.

About exchange of visits between the two nations’ presidents, Thành Phong said their meetings have led to more closeness between the two sides.

He further pointed to the issues of trade, energy, industry and information technology as effective in fostering bilateral cooperation.

Iran’s Shafei at the head of a delegation arrived in Hanoi on Wednesday (April 19). He will leave for Tehran today.

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