Iran, Kazakhstan need to further expand economic ties

Raeisi

TEHRAN, (MNA) – The Iranian president told visiting Kazakhstan prime minister that the level of trade and economic relations between the two nations do not match the existing potentials.

President Ebrahim Raeisi held a meeting with the visiting Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov and his accompanying delegation in Tehran on Wednesday evening. 

The president described Kazakhstan as one of the influential countries in the Eurasian Union, adding, "Although the significant growth of trade relations between the two countries last year has made the situation different as compared to the past, this level of relations does not match with the potentials that the two countries have."

"We have to work hard to improve that," the Iranian president said.

"Investment in transit infrastructure from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf", "Transportation development to facilitate commercial cooperation", "Increasing cooperation in the field of agriculture" and "Using innovative mechanisms in the monetary and banking fields" among others were the issues emphasized by Ayatollah Raeisi in the meeting with the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.

The president also called for paying attention to the development of cultural and civilizational relations between Iran and Kazakhstan and considered it as necessary to establish a joint cultural committee to promote relations in that area.

The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan also expressed his interest in the development and deepening of relations between his country and the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially in the field of economic and commercial investments, and said, "The volume of relations between the two countries do not match with the existing potentials, and for that reason, we have designed a road map for the development of future cooperation."

Smailov expressed hope that by accelerating the implementation of the Tehran-Astana agreements in various fields, the level of cooperation between the two parties will be increased and tangible achievements will be made for both nations.