Ukraine minister to head to Iran

Ukraine’s economy minister says he will follow his European colleagues to Iran seeking business opportunities from the anticipated easing of sanctions on the isolated Islamic Republic.

Economy Minister Aivaras Abromavicius says his three-day trip starting September 14 will include a “large group of industrial leaders” as well the war-torn state’s agriculture minister.

Abromavicius tells a Ukrainian cabinet meeting that the former Soviet nation wanted to “improve relations with (Iran) after what we hope will be the lifting of sanctions by the US Congress.”

A range of European countries — including economic powerhouse Germany — have already either sent business delegations to Tehran or lifted some of their unilateral trade restrictions on Iran.

Kiev’s state statistics service says trade between the two countries only reached $756 million last year. Ukrainian exports accounted for more than 90 percent of that amount.

— AFP