Nigeria and Iran on Thursday in Abuja signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, to cooperate in tourism, geology, mining, mineral processing and metallurgy sectors. The Minister of State (1) for Foreign Affairs, Viola Onwuliri, and the Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade, Mohammed Nematzadeh, signed the agreement at the end of the 5th session of Nigeria-Iran Joint Commission. The ministers also signed agreement on industrial cooperation between both countries and visa waiver for holders of diplomatic passports. According to Mr. Onwuliri, the signing of the agreements demonstrates the seriousness both countries attach to the need to collaborate more and boost their economic ties. She said Nigeria and Iran had very low volume of annual bilateral trade, which official figures was put at less than $50 million annually. She stressed the need for the countries to encourage people- to-people contact to raise the level of trade and economic relations between them. “It is important to note that Nigeria and Iran have shared great historic and diplomatic ties for a very long time. “This is evident in the mutual understanding and support between the two friendly nations at various multilateral engagements,” she said. Ms. Onwuliri, a professor, also requested Iran’s support in the fight against terrorism in the country. “The problem of terrorism has become universal and it is imperative for the countries not to stand by and watch terrorists kill and maim innocent citizens. “As a developing country, Nigeria needs understanding, encouragement and assistance of its friends, of which Iran is one,” she said. Earlier, Mr. Nematzadeh had said that Iran and Nigeria’s membership in international organisations, such as D8 and OPEC, was a great advantage to deepen economic ties. “In recent years, Iran has achieved great successes in the fields of science and economy and I express our readiness to share these potentials with the Nigerian people.’’ He called on the governments of both countries to identify and remove obstacles inhibiting economic development to encourage private sector participation. He also recommended the establishment of trade centres to further develop trade relations. “Removal of obstacles regarding banking relations, finance, insurance, investment and customs are highly necessary to facilitate trade flow between the two countries.’’ The Iranian minister said Nigeria and Iran had great potentials for cooperation in the fields of maritime and air transportation, power, water resources and agriculture. He condemned the spate of killings, abductions and assignations perpetrated by insurgents in the country. He said that Iran was strongly opposed to terrorism, citing the country’s experience in counter-terrorism. “We hope Nigeria will come out of this situation, which is not acceptable to any human being in the world,” he said. The Iranian delegation comprises government officials and a 25-man delegation from the private sector. The Iranian private sector had indicated interest to invest in Nigeria’s oil and gas sectors, pharmaceuticals, housing, agriculture and manufacturing sectors.
Posted on: Thu, 19 Jun 2014 21:22:43 +0000
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