Tehran summit mulls barter system

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan have decided to establish a barter system to facilitate trade among the three countries.

“Today, it was agreed to establish a barter system among the three countries so that money is no longer exchanged [in trade],” IRNA quoted Mottaki as saying on Thursday.

“The second solution [to improving trade ties] is studying and examining the possibility of using the national currencies of the three countries,” Mottaki told reporters following the one-day summit hosted in Tehran.

Mottaki said that the economy and trade ministers of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan must meet about this and the central banks of the three countries must find ways to make operational.

The Iranian minister went on to announce that the transportation minister from Iran, Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are to meet in mid-October in Dushanbe to discuss a railroad project, which is expected to connect the five countries.

The one-day summit of the Persian-speaking heads of states was in Tehran. Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon singed a declaration with their Iranian counterpart on different political, cultural, economic and anti-terrorism issues.

Mottaki said that the next meeting of the Persian-speaking heads of states is scheduled to be held in Kabul.