The 19th session of the headquarters for the coordination of foreign economic relations held at Iran’s Foreign Ministry

The 19th session of the headquarters for the coordination of foreign economic relations has been held by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Mehdi Safari being the chair. The agenda of the talks had three axes: Unveiling the English website of the Foreign Ministry’s economic diplomacy deputy’s office, reviewing the latest achievements of various bodies with regard to knowledge-based products, and looking into the latest state of the joint economic commission of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan.
The meeting started with the unveiling of the English website of the Foreign Ministry’s economic diplomacy deputy’s office. This is aimed at facilitating access of English-speaking people to the economic, trade, financial and tourism potentials of Iran. Participants in the meeting then pointed to the achievements of knowledge-based companies in terms of production and export, announcing that in the first 9 months of this year, the companies exported 600 million dollars worth of knowledge-based products to different countries. They further expressed hope that next year will see a 10% increase in exports.
At the closing part of the meeting, Safari pointed to the existing bilateral interests and the fact that Iran and Pakistan are neighbors, saying opportunities for cooperation with Islamabad should not be ignored. He also said despite some limitations, Iran and Pakistan are determined to improve and boost relations in all areas. Safari further voiced hope that this goal will be achieved with both sides focusing on their joint economic commission following the upcoming visit of Pakistan's finance minister to Iran.
Programs aimed at strengthening economic ties with Pakistan will include: improving facilities for road infrastructure, expanding customs services, strengthening facilities for trading goods at the borders, and facilitating trade laws and signing joint memoranda of understanding in various fields.