Kazem Jalali told Nipna that many Russians were unaware of Iran's
impressive capabilities in the petrochemical sector until recently, when
sanctions issues opened their eyes to Iran's potential.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the 13th international exhibition
of plastics and rubber industry in Moscow, where Iran had a strong and
prominent presence for the second time.
Jalali said Iran had diversified its exports to Russia and established
trade and cooperation in various fields, especially petrochemicals and
technology. He also cited cooperation in medicine, medical equipment and other
areas.
"Russia has a big market that requires a lot of work and on the
other hand Iran has a variety of products and equipment that provide potential
for cooperation," he said.
He acknowledged some obstacles for this cooperation, but said they
would be gradually removed.
Jalali hailed Iran's participation in the exhibition as a display of
its petrochemical power in Russia and a golden opportunity for expanding the
market and customers there. He also said Iran was looking for joint investments
with the countries participating in the exhibition.
Jalali said many companies had attended the exhibition and some very
good contracts had been signed. He hoped they would have good results.
He appreciated the petrochemical companies for their efforts and trust
in the government. "They took a very big step and despite having a big
market in the world, they also tried to expand their market in Russia," he
said.
Jalali said he was trying to remove the obstacles for cooperation.
"Some obstacles have existed for years and are not easily solved. For
example, when we talk about transit, we need to develop railroads. When we talk
about logistics, we need to go towards building ships in the Caspian Sea. Some
obstacles exist in the banking sector, but some interactions have been created
in this field. In the customs sector, good interactions have been established
and the heads of customs of both countries met in Tehran," he said.
Jalali stressed that Russia had a good capacity for market development
and that Iran should increase its market share by speeding up cooperation.