TEHRAN, Aug. 09 (MNA) – The deputy-minister of Industry, Mine and Trade has said the government is resolute to organize the attempts to join WTO.

Valiollah Afkhamirad, who was addressing the first meeting of deputy-ministers coordinator committee in World Trade Organization, said that with political barriers removed, the process to join WTO would be facilitated.


“The government has established workgroups in Trade Promotion Organization of Iran to focus on issues of joining to the WTO and all engaged government bodies should develop necessary means to join WTO so that they could initiate the joining process whenever the political barriers are removed,” said the deputy-minister. “We should translate words into action, and it is necessary that all bodies move in the direction to attend duties assigned, so that they develop necessary preparation to accelerate the joining process,” he said.


“The ministry has in its agenda a consequentialist approach to attain viable objectives to join the WTO,” Afkhamirad asserted. “Among options at the disposal of the Trade Development Organization are tariff adjustment for the customs office, holding Article 1 commission, trade relations with other countries, and membership in international conventions, which are crucial to WTO membership,” he added.


Afkhamirad provided details of possible actions by the Trade Development Organization in its attempts to join WTO. “Reducing tariffs is one of the most important plans, which propagates competition in domestic trade; this encourages domestic producers to improve their product quality to remain in the market in the face of competition by imported goods,” he added.


He said that boosting an atmosphere conducive to competition in industries and private sector was a necessity. “To join WTO, industries should prepare for new conditions and to reduce their vulnerabilities,” the deputy-minister added.


Afkhamirad believed that integration of the fully-authorized representative office to the main body of organization as an effective action to join WTO, investing much hope on Iran’s nuclear negotiators who would remove political barriers.


Mehdi Fathollah, the head of Institute of Trade Studies and Research in the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade told the meeting that the organization lacked a mechanism to join WTO, which had been a concern for management; “this should be a priority,” he emphasized.


By Mehr News Agency





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