In a meeting with traders of Qazvin Province, an official with the Trade Promotion Organization’s Iraq Affairs Department said: “The time is ripe to expand the export of Iranian products to Iraq.” Majid Qorbani Faraz referred to the “great potential” of Qazvin in agricultural and industrial sectors and said: “Qazvin exported 25 million dollars worth of goods to Iraq, so far this [Iranian} year which indicates a 24% increase compared to last year;” Mehr News Agency reported. Speaking on the subject of the Iraqi government’s plans to increase import tariffs, the official said: “Baghdad announced in 2010 that it would increase tariffs on all imported commodities from 5 to 15%, but the decision has not been implemented to date due to critical situation in the war-stricken country,” adding that the changes may take effect after Ramadan. Alireza Keshavarz Qasemi, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Qazvin, who was also present in the meeting said: “We are ready to provide advisory, economic, legal and translation services to Iranian traders who wish to do business in Iraq.”
