Eurasia Press & News
Trade between Iran and Thailand grew to $409.990 mln in the first half of this year, up 74.76 per cent over the comparable 2006 figure of $234.60 mln, the Iranian ambassador to Thailand said on Friday. Mohsen Pakaeen said the “non-oil” trade was heavily in Thailand’s favor – $391.050 mln worth of exports to Iran against just $18.94 mln in imports from Tehran.
He did not provide any figures on Thai oil imports from his country, but he said that Bangkok seems to become a purchaser of Iran’s oil and gas supplies in the near future, considering Thailand’s excessive need to energy resources and that it supplied 70.5% of its energy needs in 2006 through imports.
The ambassador said although figures suggest that Iran-Thailand exchanges have boosted as a result of the increasing knowledge of the two countries’ traders about the potentials and needs of the other side, the two states’ trade ties can still develop more sharply, given the ample potentials and grounds existing for Tehran-Bangkok trade cooperation.
According to the diplomat, Thailand’s main exports to Iran in the first half of the year were rice worth $91.9 million, radio and TV accessories ($60.2 million) and air conditioner parts ($48.6 million).
