The Islamic Republic of Iran is interested in intensifying the economic and commercial relations with Moldova, Iranian Ambassador to Ukraine and Moldova Akbar Ghasemi Ali Abadi said in a news conference at IPN. The official stated that the two countries lost too much time and they now should step things up in order to realize the cooperation potential.

A delegation of Iran consisting of heads of Iranian mass media outlets is in Moldova on a visit. Akbar Ghasemi Ali Abadi said the main goal of this visit is to familiarize themselves with the cooperation potential of the two states.

The official underlined that Iran and Moldova are in the same geographic region and this fact can contribute to improving the relations and to increasing trade without involving intermediaries. He expressed his regret at the fact that the commercial relations between the two states are facilitated by intermediaries because they don’t know much about Moldova in Iran and vice versa.

In a meeting earlier, Moldovan and Iranian officials from the agricultural sector discussed the potential of the two countries in agriculture and cooperation possibilities. Ambassador Akbar Ghasemi Ali Abadi told the journalists that Iran managed to achieve considerable results in agriculture and developed the animal-breeding sector and the sectors of greenhouses and genetic modification of seeds. The officials agreed to exchange experience in the areas in which they made progress.

The ambassador said the two states can cooperate in healthcare. Iran created medicines for fighting cancer and AIDS and some types of these drugs are sold on the Russian market too.

According to the Iranian diplomat, Ukraine and Moldova need natural gas, while Iran has enough gas and oil products and can export them to other states. The Iranian authorities now lay emphasis on developing relations with such states as Ukraine and Moldova. The official also said that the car making industry in Iran is very developed, with a production of over 1 million vehicles a year.

The delegation of Iranian journalists came to Moldova after a similar Moldovan delegation visited Iran last December. The visit to Moldova will last for three days. The delegation will have meetings with representatives of the media, the business sector and the Moldovan authorities. Both of the visits were coordinated by the Embassy of Iran in Ukraine and Moldova and the Embassy of Moldova in Ukraine.