Mr. Bahman Abdullahi, President of Iran Chamber of Cooperatives (ICC) met with H.E. Mr. Saurabh Kumar, Ambassador of India to Iran, and emphasized the need for steady growth emerging out of the interactions between Iran and India in the co-operative sector. Mr. Abdullahi said that, “Due to the role of cooperatives in various sectors of the economy, especially the agricultural sector, we are interested in the communication of knowledge and experience between the two countries.” Ambassador Kumar, while acknowledging the efforts of ICC President, emphasized the need for closer cooperation among cooperatives between the two countries that are represented at the ICA through several co-operative federations. He highlighted the historical friendship between the two countries and said that the way forward to strengthening the relationship and harnessing socio-economic opportunities, could be a memorandum of understanding on the agricultural sector between Iran and India.

The President of ICC presented five areas to the Ambassador of India, where both countries could initiate economic cooperation and development programs. These included agriculture, import of red meat and trade in the field of handicrafts. He sought the support of the Indian authorities to facilitate the exhibition of Iranian products in India and visits by trade delegations from both the countries. Ambassador Kumar agreed that the transfer of knowledge and expertise between Iran and India was a very good idea, and would provide valuable opportunities for both sides. This partnership will signal to the rest of the world, that Iran and India are strengthening relations to boost the co-operative sector together.