PM aide for barter trade between Pakistan, Iran

Stresses need for removing trade barriers between two sides

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan intends to increase bilateral trade and economic ties with Iran, said Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce, Textile, Industries, Production and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood.

He was talking to an Iranian delegation, led by Iran-Pakistan Parliamentary Friendship Group Chairman and Iranian parliament member Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani, which called on him on Tuesday.

The adviser underlined the importance of bilateral trade and related issues, which were discussed during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s last visit to Iran and expected positive response from the Iranian side. These issues included implementation of the Pakistan-Iran Preferential Trade Agreement (signed in 2006) and efforts to introduce a barter trade mechanism in order to enhance bilateral trade for economic development of both countries.

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He called for removing all barriers to trade, which hampered commerce between the two countries.

“To begin barter trade, first both countries should select few items having competitive advantage,” he suggested. “In this regard, Pakistan can enhance export of wheat, sugar, rice and fruits to Iran and the latter can export products of its own interest to Pakistan.”

The Iranian side acknowledged that trade relations between the two neighbours did not match the actual potential and requested for constituting a committee for barter trade. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2019.

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