Chilean entrepreneur: Iran directly purchase our product instead of supply it from third country

According to Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture, the conference of "Introducing opportunities for the cooperation between Iran and Chile" was held on Sunday in the presence of the Director General of Bilateral Cooperation of the International Affairs of Iran Chamber, the charge d'affaires of Chilean Embassy in Tehran, and private entrepreneurs, in which joint venture opportunities and the products which can be exported to the two countries were introduced.

THE head of Middle East Trading Bureau of Prochile Company whose regional bureau is in the UAE announced that the volume of the bilateral economic relations was 200 million USD in the years 2005 and 2006.

Sharif Chakov said, "This figure has tended to decline for recent years and fell to less than 10 million USD last year."

Chakov said, "Iran and Chile export many goods, but only 26 products are dedicated to major volume of the bilateral economic relations, while 72% of imported items can be supplied from Chile."

He said, "Iran imports 4000 products out of which 3783 are produced in Chile. Chile also imports over 2724 different products, but Iran export only 18Iranian products to Chile."

Chakov said, " Chile ranked 23 in the world in terms of corruption index, and the Chilean produced goods are exported to 64 countries without customs tariff which means Iranian products can be re-exported to South and North America while creating surplus values in Chile." 

According to IRNA, Prochile Co. has 55 bureaus worldwide and is involved in commercial activities at international level."

**The increase in business relationships paves the way for the diplomatic relations

Referring to the importance of cooperation with Latin American Countries as the destination of Iranian exports, the Director General of Bilateral Cooperation of the International Affairs of Iran Chamber said, "While the Minister of Foreign Affairs was travelling with entrepreneurs to Latin American countries, many cooperation fields were reviewed, but numerous sections have been left intact."

Stressing that the increase in business relationships paves the way for the diplomatic relations, Abolfazl Rahnama said, "There are many opportunities for the development of bilateral cooperation, along with agricultural and food products, which should be considered by merchants travelling between two countries."

Last summer, 60 Iranian private entrepreneurs were accompanying the Minister of Foreign Affairs on his trip to Chile."

Chile is one of the important countries targeted for the development of economic relations in Latin America with 18 million populations that has signed economic cooperation agreement with 64 countries. Hence, the Chilean goods are exported to them without customs costs and duties."

Based on the achievements of the conference of "Introducing opportunities for the cooperation between Iran and Chile", some of the products required by Chile to be imported are: methanol, ethylene glycol, a variety of sulfur, bitumen and asphalt, cement clinkers, cement, polymeric products, livestock products, gypsum, dried fruit, aluminum nitrate, different types of glass and its raw materials, construction materials, etc.

The goods which can be imported from Chile are: wood pulp, walnuts, variety of fruit, tobacco, wooden doors, zinc, urea and different kinds of organic fertilizers, aluminum foil, sugar, washing machine, fabric, etc.

At the end of the meeting, the chemical fertilizer manufacturing companies introduced their products and the possibility of exporting them to Iran.

IRNA reporter's survey on the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs indicate that in the first seven months of this year, Iran's exports to Chile amounted to 219 thousand and 309 USD, while in the same period, the imports from Chile to Iran amounted 8 million 260 thousand and 284 USD.