Iran to host Afghan investment conference

TEHRAN, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Iran will shortly host a two-day conference on investment opportunities in Afghanistan.

Mehr News Agency reported Tuesday Afghan representatives attending the seminar, scheduled to open Oct. 15, include Minister for Commerce and Industry Wahidullah Shahrani, Central Bank of Afghanistan representatives and officials from the Afghan Investment Support Agency.

The conference will discuss opportunities and investment priorities in Afghanistan in industry, transportation, construction, energy, agriculture, animal farming, food and tourism sectors. Seminars will cover problems for foreign firms investing in Afghanistan, while a data bank of Iranian companies active in Afghanistan will also make its debut at the conference.

In 2008 bilateral Iranian-Afghan trade reached nearly $500 million, and Iran is now Afghanistan's second-largest trading partner.

During a meeting in Tehran in July with Shahrani, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that Iran supported any expansion of ties between the two countries that would lead to consolidation of security and stability in Afghanistan and fighting terrorism there.