Italy Ranks 1st in Importing Iranian Goods

Italy ranked first in importing goods from Iran in the first nine months of the current Iranian year (started March 20, 2016), Customs Office figures showed, AVA Diplomatic reports.

“Italy became Iran’s first importer of commodities by importing over 678,000 tons of Iranian goods worth more than $385 million in the first nine months of the current year,” Iran’s Customs Office declared.

It also said that 40 European countries imported Iranian goods valued at $1.856 billion.

In relevant remarks in late November, Italian Ambassador to Iran Mauro Conciatori in a meeting with Hormuzgan Governor General Jassem Jadari in Bandar Abbas voiced Rome’s willingness to expand economic and industrial relations with Tehran.

“Iranian President (Hassan Rouhani) and Italian Prime Minister (Matteo Renzi) met in New York three days ago which was for the fourth time over past years; during the meeting the two sides underscored the need for doubling the efforts to broaden relations,” Conciatori said during the meeting.

He reiterated that Iran and Italy have deep familiarity about each other and have been in contact with each other through Silk Road which can pave the way for boosting ties between the two countries.

Conciatori pointed to the berthing of Italian warship in Bandar Abbas, and said, “The presence of the Italian warship shows the positive development in relations between the two countries.”

In mid-July, Iranian and Italian officials in a meeting in Sari signed four memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to further expand their mutual cooperation in different areas, specially in trade and economic fields.

The MoUs were signed at the presence of governors of Iran’s Mazandaran Province and Italy’s Marche province.

Marche Governor Luca Ceriscioli is on a visit to Tehran. He is accompanied by a 50-member trade delegation comprising 43 CEOs, manager of an Italian bank and chancellors of two Italian universities.

In mid-April, Iran and Italy signed 12 contracts to boost their cooperation in trade and economic fields.

Chairman of Iran-Italy Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Mines Ahmad Pourfallah said the agreements were signed in the presence of Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade, Mohammadreza Nematzadeh.

He said negotiations are also underway between Iranian and Italian trade delegations to discuss further cooperation in economy, trade and banking.

According to the official, the discussions include cooperation in oil, gas, electricity, power plant, steel, textile, fashion, car, infrastructure, urban planning and architecture, telecommunication, railway, airport construction, shipping, refinery, and petrochemicals.

He said the Italian economic delegation, including 70 economic firms, is the ninth delegation which traveled to Iran after the nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions.