Amir Keshani, the president of the Isfahan Chamber of Commerce, while welcoming the guests, the presidents and representatives of the chambers of commerce of Asian countries, the members of the board of directors of the Iranian Chamber, the presidents and representatives of the Iran regional chambers of commerce, the national and provincial officials who are guests of Isfahan, said: The prerequisite for growth and progress in all social, cultural, scientific and economic fields in any society is peace and tranquility, which is achieved through dialogue between different societies and cultures.
He called Isfahan the "peaceful city of the Middle East" and saying that Isfahan has long been a place of peaceful coexistence between religions, he added: Muslims, Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians have lived side by side in Isfahan for centuries and the history of no conflict between religions in this the city has been recorded.
The president of the Isfahan Chamber of Commerce stated that the Asian ACD member countries encompass 56% of the population and holds 35% of the world's gross domestic product (GDP). Asian nations should achieve comprehensive development through synergy.
He continued: Dialogue is a prerequisite and the most basic trade tool, and in addition to the exchange of goods and capital, trade also involves cultural exchanges, so it can be a factor for the development of dialogue and a platform for peace and stability.
Keshani noted: The 2^nd Conference of Chambers of Commerce members of the ACD with the slogan "A more powerful and coherent Asia through new technologies" will start today (April 29, 2024) for the purpose of dialogue between chambers of commerce.
Referring to the holding of the conference of the presidents and representatives of chambers of commerce and the meeting to promote investment in Asia on the 1^st day of this conference, he clarified: on the 2^nd day, there will be four round tables on "New technologies", "Tourism", "Food security and agriculture" and " "Sustainable development" will be held, and I invite the guests of the conference to attend these round tables and present their opinions for the development of Asia.
Stating that the statement and work report of this conference will be published as a final document in the closing ceremony, he invited the guests to visit the exhibition of Isfahan province's capabilities. The president of the Isfahan Chamber of Commerce appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in holding this meeting and the presence of foreign guests.
The private sector helps to increase the cooperation of Asian countries
The First Vice-chairman of Iran Chamber of Commerce, while appreciating the Secretary General of ACD, presidents and representatives of chambers of commerce, researchers and university professors present at the conference, he added: We have a strong feeling and believe that the cooperation and coordination of the private sectors alongside the governments within the framework of the ACD Conference will greatly contribute to the realization of our ideals, including solidarity and cooperation in social, economic, cultural and environmental fields, and this path will undoubtedly help in reducing tension between governments and increasing their cooperation. Therefore, we need to benefit from your experiences in all side events of this conference.
Welcoming domestic and foreign guests, Mohammad Reza Bahraman said: We are happy that you accepted the invitation of the chamber and came from far away to participate in this conference in Iran.
He further pointed out: We should especially thank the Isfahan Chamber of Commerce for hosting and providing the space to hold this two-days meeting. He added: We wish you success in this conference and we hope that the documents prepared at the end of this event will be a guideline for the upcoming conference.
Common topics of ACD member countries should be pursued
The Secretary General of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue Forum (ACD) also said that the issues agreed upon by the member countries should be followed up through the publication of the summit results report.
I am very grateful to all those who made this meeting possible, said Pornchai Danvivatana, saying that I am happy to be able to participate in this conference as the ACD President.
Referring to the holding of the first meeting of ACD member chambers of commerce in 2021 in Türkiye, he said: This meeting was held by the Union of Chambers of Commerce in Türkiye under the title of “TOBB”, and at the end, the need to expand such meetings to reach an agreement was emphasized.
The Secretary General of the ACD added: In order to be able to continue the dialogues between the 35 ACD countries as well as the inter-regional dialogues, it is effective to hold such a conferences.
Emphasizing that it is necessary for the members of ACD to have more exchanges with each other in terms of communication by creating standards and laws on the subject of investment, he said: There are various issues in this direction and the vital role of chambers of commerce in this field is crucial.
The ACD Secretary General, mentioning that it is possible that the next conference will be held in Qatar, stated: In addition to being interested in continuing such conferences, we also want the people involved to look deeply into the problems that exist in this matter. I think that we can solve the problems with cooperation.
Pornchai Danvivatana continued: If each of the chambers of commerce declare their readiness to be the third host and volunteer, we can finally reach a consensus.
He finally pointed out: We must be able to improve multilateral cooperation in order to make such conferences a success, so there is a need to report the results of agreements to the ACD and solve problems by improving the conditions in order to make progress on the development path.

For economic growth, prosperity and peace are needed
The Director General of Resistance Economy Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also emphasized that the meeting of chambers of commerce members of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue can become possible models between the private and public sectors, and said: establishing prosperity and peace is needed for economic growth.
Ali Chegani, while welcoming the representatives of the ACD member, stated: In the Islamic Republic of Iran, we intend to advance our goals and achieve results with all-round cooperation. We need the world, also for economic growth, prosperity and peace, comprehensive cooperation including international cooperation is needed through competent people.
Emphasizing that there are many potentials in such assemblies, where most of the ACD members are present, he added: In this conference we can work in all directions each country has its own competency, I hope this conference will lead to possible models between the private and public sectors.
He further stated: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is ready to bring itself closer to the goals of the global economy through the support of the government and the member countries. Of course, this growth and progress is not fast and it comes about through cooperation, and we need to know what other countries are doing. Contributions can be made. Conference meetings are very important and can play an important role in promoting communication. We invite the ACD member countries to cooperate to the fullest, their presence in this conference showed that we can have active cooperation.
Chambers of commerce should seek to expand communication for networking
The Secretary General of the United Arab Emirates Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stating that an opportunity has arisen to improve our services with the development of networking, said: Our first task as a Chamber of Commerce is to share experiences with each other and to promote communication networking to improve the chambers.
Hamid Mohammad bin Salem said in this ceremony: We thank the president of the Isfahan Chamber of Commerce and the members of this group for hosting us very well. We realized that Isfahan is one of the beautiful cities for tourism.
The Secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the United Arab Emirates said: In the past years, the World Forum of Chambers of Commerce was held in Dubai, and there the issue of changing the services of the Chambers of Commerce was raised, so we want to bring about new changes. New services need to be created and then upgraded, we need to use artificial intelligence and as chambers of commerce we need to ensure that operations run smoothly.
Emphasizing that we should consider the capabilities of the countries in this forum, he stated: In the United Arab Emirates and in the Chamber of Commerce, we are fully prepared to learn the experiences of others and share our experiences. Fortunately, we have good relations with the Chamber so far. We have had Iran's trade, but now we need to know what steps should be taken to pave the way for private sectors.