Iran, Iraq Capable of Utilizing Potentials to Boost Cooperation in Maritime Trade

Ali Akbar Safaei, who is the chairman of PMO and also Iran's Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development made the remarks in a meeting with the head of the Iraqi maritime organization "Ahmad Jassim Al-Asadi" 

In the meeting, Safaei voiced the readiness of seafarer training centers and maritime science education centers in Iran to train Iraqi students, adding that Iranian ports are ready for transit and exports of goods to Central Asia and northeast Europe.

The Iranian PMO chairman further said that putting navigation signs and signals in the Arvand Rud river, which is called Shaṭṭ Al-ʿArab on the Iraqi side of the border, is among the other programs of the two countries to reduce maritime damage and increase navigation safety.

In the meeting, the head of the Iraqi maritime organization announced Baghdad's readiness to launch the first maritime passenger transport line between the ports of Iraq's Um Qasr and Iran's Khorramshahr and Iraq's Al-Faw and Iran's Abadan in the next few months.

Al-Asadi added that the travels of pilgrims and travelers to Iraq will start in the near future. 

Later in the meeting, Jalil Eslami, a member of the board of directors of Iran's PMO referred to the 27% growth in the trade of goods between Khorramshahr port and Umm Al Qasr last year, adding, "The necessary infrastructure for creating a sea transportation line between the ports of Iran and Iraq has been prepared."

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