MNA � The chairman of Chamber of Commerce of western province of Kermanshah says that the Iraqi Kurdistan can be a major route for Iranian businesses to reach Syria�s market.

Keyvan Kashefi, the Chairman of Chamber of Commerce of western province of Kermanshah, made the remarks in a meeting with a visiting business delegation from Iraqi Kurdistan in Kermanshah on Sunday.

Kashefi said that during the first eight months of this Iranian year (March 21-November 21), the Kermanshah province�s exports to the Kurdistan region increased by 51%, while Iran�s total exports to the neighboring country witnessed a 65% growth.

He added that exchange of visits by bilateral trade delegations paves the way for more economic cooperation between the two sides.

The chairman of the Kermanshah Chamber of Commerce further pointed out that normalcy has returned to Syria to some degree now and given the fact that the country is a common market for both Iran and Iraq, the Iranian businesses need to take into account that they can use Iraq, especially Kurdistan region, as an alternative transit route to exports their products there instead of Turkey.

The Iranian official went on to say that Kermanshah chamber of commerce has obtained necessary permits to hold a trade expo in Sulaymaniyeh city in the Kurdistan region in order to showcase products of the province there.