Agricultural Collaboration Could Greatly Boost Iran-France Trade

“The ground is prepared for cooperation in the agricultural field and the recent trip by Iran’s agriculture minister to France that led to the conclusion of four memorandums of understanding confirms the fact,” Iranian Ambassador to Paris Abolqasem Delfi said, referring to a visit to France by Mahmoud Hojjati in October.

The ambassador was speaking in a recent meeting with an economic delegation comprising representatives of private firms from Markazi Province, who were visiting France to attend the 2018 edition of Paris International Agricultural Show.

According to a Farsi report by IRNA, Delfi said the volume of bilateral trade between Tehran and Paris stood at $3.8 billion in 2017, in a great progress that was made thanks to the 2015 nuclear deal.

The deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, removed the EU and UN sanctions and part of the US embargos on Iran in return for confidence-building curbs on Tehran’s nuclear work.

Days after the deal came into effect in January 2016, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani paid a historic visit to France, during which he signed an array of deals estimated to be worth $33 billion.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is expected to visit Iran on Monday, March 5, to discuss expansion of Tehran-Paris cooperation.