Iran-Thailand Business Forum was held with the presences of Thai Deputy Minister of Commerce, the head of Iran chamber and two countries ambassadors and businessmen in the location of Iran chamber of commerce on 23 November.
According to the report of ICCIMAs public relations, Mohsen Jalalpour Iran chambers head said: Irans economy is moving towards a competitive and free-market oriented economy, as sanctions and difficulties of an oil-dependent economy showed us that the empowerment of the private sector is a necessity.
Pointing to Irans strategic position in the region and its trade potential, he said: In trading with Iran, Thailand has to consider the 400 million-strong markets that it can gain access to in the region. Iran, with the safety and security it offers to investors and foreign firms in a turbulent region, can act as the regions main trade hub.
The head of Iran chamber of commerce emphasized that Iran and Thailand economic actors seize the opportunity for joint cooperation between two countries.
According to Jalalpour, Computer hardware, food (sugar and rice), tourism, hotels and tourist complexes, transport, transit are some of the potential areas for bilateral trade and cooperation.
Suvit Maesincee, Thai Deputy Minister of commerce who a 75-member trade delegation said the Thai traders are active in the fields of food and agriculture, construction, car spare parts, as well as clothing and jewelry.
Meanwhile, Thailands Deputy Commerce Minister called for increasing the bilateral annual trade to $2 billion.
He stated: Thailand can become Irans gateway to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, adding that during the meeting opportunities for joint investments and ventures by the two countries in the run-up to the Iran-Thailand Joint Economic Commission were discussed.
ASEAN is a political and economic organization of ten Southeast Asian countries. It was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and Vietnam. Its aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress, and sociocultural evolution among its members, protection of regional peace and stability, and opportunities for member countries to resolve differences peacefully.
It is said that Trade between Iran and Thailand amounted to $371.92 million in the previous Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, 2015, according to the Iran Customs Administration.
Bilateral trade totaled $217.55 million in the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year.
Source: ICCIMA- Date: (24 November 2015)