Iran- Afghanistan Exhibit Concludes in Herat

Afghanistan's northwestern city of Herat hosted an exhibition in which Iranian and Afghan exhibitors participated.
This was the 13th edition of the expo held annually in Herat. It opened on Monday and concluded on Wednesday.
According to Afghanistan's TOLOnews, 30 exhibitors from Iran and 10 from Afghanistan attended the event. 
On display were commercial products ranging from construction materials to food, agricultural equipment and saffron. 
Iranian electrical appliances were also on display, as well as other products such as detergents, tea, honey and crockery. 
“Exhibitions like this have been instrumental in fostering economic ties between the two countries,” said Monisa Hassanzada, Herat's deputy governor. 
Noting that the private sector plays a crucial role in increasing national revenues and job generation, she called on Iran’s private sector to invest in Afghanistan’s industry. 
Representatives from the two countries echoed similar remarks, saying such exhibitions help develop trade relations between Afghanistan and Iran.  
“Through this exhibition, we want to establish more business relations with Afghan businessmen,” said Haidaryan, an Iranian businessman. 
“The economy is stagnant in Iran. With this exhibition, we will be able to cooperate for economic growth in the two countries,” said Mehdi Husseini, an investor from Iran. 
The turnout of investors at the event was reportedly low due to the decline in the value of the two countries’ currencies as well as the fall in investment in Afghan and Iranian markets. 
However, an official from Iran’s Consulate in Herat said the reason behind the weak presence of Iranian investors at the expo is that Afghan businessmen have become more self-reliant in terms of producing different products inside Afghanistan.
“Most of the factories are active in Afghanistan, which has led many Iranian companies not to participate in this exhibition,” said Mahmoud Afkhami-Rashidi, Iran’s consul general in Herat.
He addressed the inaugural ceremony, saying that trade between Iran and Afghanistan has a long history and Iran’s major foreign policy priority is cooperation with Muslim states, neighbors in particular.
"Specialized exhibitions serve as bridges between businessmen and economic players," he said, noting that they promote ties between producers and customers.
Afkhami-Rashidi noted that the two countries’ economic and political relations are positive, calling for the removal of obstacles in the way of banking transactions.
Alireza Sadrzadeh, who was in charge of holding exhibitions of Iran Trade Promotion Organization, said, "Tehran is interested in seeing Afghanistan hold similar exhibition in our country, and we are ready to assist it in this respect.”
Located in northwestern Afghanistan, Herat is one of the economic hubs of the country that shares a border with Iran's Khorasan Razavi Province.