Pak-Iran banking channel will be opened soon: FPCCI

ISLAMABAD - The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Thursday said to facilitate trade with Iran the State Bank of Pakistan will select some local banks within days.

Opening up of the banking channel with Iran will boost bilateral trade by one hundred per cent within one year, said Zubair Tufail, President FPCCI.

Talking to Iranian ambassador Mahdi Honar Doust, he said that we are pinning high hopes to the second round of FTA talks with Iran scheduled in July.

He said that despite many commonalities the volume of bilateral trade is unsatisfactory but resumption of the banking channels will boost trade to five billion dollars per annum as desired by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif while meeting Iranian foreign minister.

A delegation of FPCCI will visit Tehran soon to explore business opportunities and that both the governments should take steps to make business easy, he said.

At the occasion, Iranian ambassador Mahdi Honar Doust said that trade between Iran and Afghanistan was three times greater than Pak-Iran trade.

He expressed a desire to improve trade relations between the two countries, stating that a monthly meeting would be held between representatives of FPCCI and the embassy officials to find ways and means to improve trade and overcome hurdles.-Online