Tehran, Damascus sign 18 trade contracts

Iran and Syria signed 18 trade deals to further facilitate mutual economic relations and cope with challenges created by the US sanctions on Iran, said head of a Syrian trade delegation visiting Tehran.

In a meeting with members of Iran Chamber of Cooperatives, Mahmoud Naser al-fotouh also expressed hope that Iran and Syria elevate their economic relations as high as their current political ties, Press TV reported.

He also underlined that Syria will give Iran high priority in the reconstruction era of the Arab country.

“Given self-sacrifices made by Iranians during our fight against terrorist groups over the past years, we will attach significant importance to Iran as a partner in Syria’s reconstruction projects,” he noted.

Al-fotouh also described trade ties between Iran and Syria as strategic and said Syria invites all Iranian public and private firms to visit Syria and launch new reconstruction projects.

Some estimates say Syria needs $250 billion to $400 billion to rebuild after years of an all-out foreign-sponsored militancy.

Iranian officials have repeatedly voiced Iran’s readiness to help Syria with the reconstruction of the war-ravaged country.

In early October, 2018, Iran signed an agreement to build a 540-megawatt (MW) gas-fired power station in Syria’s coastal city of Latakia.

One month later, Syria’s Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade led a delegation to Tehran to discuss ways how to improve bilateral ties. The talks mainly focused on Iran’s potential to have a greater share in the reconstruction of Syria.