Head of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture Masoud Khansari, heading a delegation of 60 businessmen, visited Munich and Berlin to give German trade ties a boost and discuss ways to remove barriers to bilateral economic interaction.
In addition to talks with German business leaders, a MoU was signed with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Munich and Upper Bavaria, the TCCIMA news service reported.
In Berlin, the Iranians attended a trade meeting with representatives from the manufacturing and industrial sectors on Thursday. The event was arranged by the Berlin Chamber of Commerce and Industry known by its German acronym IHK Berlin.
Khansari, along with Iran’s ambassador to Germany, Ali Majedi, and the president of IHK Berlin Christian Wiesenhütter were the keynote speakers.
“We are eager to revive the damaged trade ties between the two countries,” Wiesenhütter said, adding that German companies “are enthusiastic about commencing a new round of cooperation with Iranian industries.”
Khansari and the accompanying team also met with Hubert Bittlmayer, the Bavarian minister of food, agriculture and forestry in Munich on Wednesday.
Collaboration in cattle farming, dairy manufacturing, irrigation technology, food processing, medical herbs, machinery and vocational training were discussed by the two sides.
The Bavarian minister said he would visit Iran in the near future.
Role of Agro Economy
Khansari said the agriculture sector is a front-runner in Iran’s economy. “Given the high demand for well-packaged agricultural products in the region, German firms can cooperate with Iranian companies to have their products manufactured and exported to the regional markets.”
The team, on Tuesday, met with Ilse Aigner, Bavarian state minister for economic affairs and media, energy and technology.
A solution to the financing and insurance issues Iran faces would open the way to cooperation with German businesses, Khansari told the meeting.
While in Munich, the mission also visited the municipality, the ministry of public health and care services of Bavaria, German auto-maker MAN and the Industrial group Linde and the city’s soccer stadium Allianz Arena.
The Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services officially hosted the TCCIMA delegation.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the Chief Executive of Bavaria’s Business and Industries Association, Bertram Brossardt visited Iran late last year and paved the way for the TCCIMA visit.
Bavaria is Germany’s biggest state and home to industrial giants, namely BMW, Audi and Siemens.
