Talking to RIA Novosti, a source at Russia's trade delegation in Iran noted that the Russian delegation, which comprised top bosses of commerce and industry chambers in southern Russia's Astrakhan, Volgograd, Saratov and other regions, will visit Iran's Gilan province on the Caspian coast during this forum. They will also negotiate with high-ranking Iranian officials and the country's businessmen, analyzing the potential of Iran's automobile industry.
The international council mostly aims to assess prospects for organizing additional fairs and exhibitions by littoral countries, for creating and expanding a common data-exchange infrastructure of littoral countries' commerce and industry chambers, the source added.
The Caspian business council was established in 1996 on the initiative of the Astrakhan commerce and industry chamber. At first, the council comprised representatives of Russian territorial commerce and industry chambers, as well as those of Iran and Kazakhstan. Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan eventually became interested in the council's activities.
