Iran, Algeria to promote customs cooperation

Iranian and Algerian customs officials stressed the need for utilizing all the abundant capacities of their departments to expand trade ties between the two friendly nations. In a meeting between Iran's Customs Administration Massoud Karbasian and visiting Director-General of the Algerian Customs Office Mohamed Abdou Bouderbala, the officials signed a document to facilitate trade and travel between the two nations. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the signing ceremony, Karbasian said under the new agreement, Iran and Algeria will also cooperate on campaign against drug trafficking. He said the agreement is expected to significantly increase trade between the two countries. Late in February, Iran's first Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri and Algerian Deputy Foreign Minister Abdolmajid Abu Guerra stressed the need to expand Tehran-Algiers relations in all sectors. In a meeting in Tehran at the time, Jahangiri hailed friendly ties between Iran and Algeria, calling for regular consultations between the Iranian and Algerian officials. Jahangiri expressed hope that the next Iran-Nigeria joint cooperation commission would lead to finding a roadmap for promotion of relations. He further voiced Iran's readiness to share its experiences with Algeria in different fields, such as electricity generation and construction of power plants. The Iranian official criticized the low level of trade between the two countries, calling for enhanced trade and economic cooperation. The Algerian official, for his part, underlined the necessity of expansion of bilateral relations, particularly in energy and trade areas.