An ECO delegation headed by the Secretary General ECO, Ambassador Khusrav Noziri, and comprising Deputy Secretary General (AIT) and officials of Trade & Investment Directorate, visited the office of the ECO-CCI, Tehran on 8th November, 2022. The delegation was welcomed by Mr. Gholamhossein Shafei, President of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines & Agriculture (ICCIMA)/President ECO-CCI. He was accompanied by Dr. Sama Farkhondenejhad, the Secretary General ECO-CCI.
During the ensuing discussion the President and officials of the ECO CCI highlighted the potential of the region for expansion of trade and investment, emphasizing the need for an active persuasion to materialize the ongoing initiatives taken by the ECO in various areas in trade facilitation like Visa Stickers Scheme for the Businessmen, creation of Regional Value Chains for promotion of trade and Investment etc. They appreciated the role of the ECO Secretariat and called for a continued pursuance of the implementation of the agreements and MoUs signed by the ECO to realize the objectives of the Organization through greater trade facilitation, investment promotion, better connectivity etc.
The Secretary General of the ECO highlighted the achievements of the ECO in various areas and briefed the ECO-CCI delegation about various initiatives taken by the Secretariat in the priority sectors. Highlighting the pivotal role of the ECOTA in furtherance of the objectives of doubling the intra regional trade and increasing the share of ECO in global trade as outlined in the ECO Vision 2025, Ambassador Noziri invited the ECO-CCI to play a proactive role in effectuation of ECOTA through the National Chambers of the ECO Member States. He elaborated the proactive engagement of the Member States by the Secretariat in various sectors including trade, investment, transport & connectivity, energy, tourism etc. He alluded to the operationalization of the ,کAgreement on Promotion and Protection Investment’ (APPI) in 2022, hoping that it will bolster the confidence of the business community in legal framework in the region for promotion and protection of investment.
Appreciating the proposal of ECO-CCI about creation of ,کRegional Value Chains (RVCs)’ to manufacture product with ECO origin like ,کMade in the ECO’ in automobile and shipping sectors, which inevitably depends upon implementation of customs tariff reduction under the ECOTA and the ,کrules of origins’ for creating RVCs, the Secretary General, ECO shared the details of the initiatives of the Secretariat promotion of investment in the region. The Secretary General also highlighted the success stories in the transport sector in the ECO region and invited the ECO CCI to actively participate in the initiatives for promotion of tourism sector.
The meeting ended with vote of thanks from both sides.
