Iran and Uzbekistan have set a target for doubling the volume of bilateral trade in the first step and then increasing it to hit 3 billion US dollars, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi was cited by IRNA as saying at a meeting of top-ranking delegations of Iran and Uzbekistan that took place in Tehran on June 18.
IRNA notes that the meeting took place as part of a historic visit to Tehran by an Uzbek president after 20 years.
President Raisi reportedly also referred to signing a preferential trade agreement between the two countries, calling on the related ministers to prepare a list of items for preferential trade within two weeks.
Noting that Iran sees no barriers in the way of expansion of ties with nearby countries, he said that promotion of relations between the two countries will benefit the interests of both nations.
For his part, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reportedly said that a 20-year gap for a top-level visit to Tehran was caused by negligence of former officials of both countries.
He believed that Uzbekistan needs Iran’s successful experiences in the path to progress.
Mirziyoyev reportedly voiced Tashkent’s readiness for enhancement of cooperation with Tehran in different scientific, technological, transportation, energy, medical and agricultural areas, calling on Iranian private sector actors to participate in economic projects of Uzbekistan.
It is to be noted that Iran’s close historical, cultural, and civilizational links with Central Asia, especially in Tajikistan, has been an opportunity for Iran’s economic diplomacy.
Iran’s trade with Turkmenistan over the first eleven months of last year has reportedly amounted to 435 million US dollars and has increased significantly.
Meanwhile, according to data from the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan a two-way annual trade between Tajikistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran last year valued at 238.2193 million US dollars. This consisted of Tajikistan’s exports to Iran estimated at 114.3973 million US dollars and Tajikistan’s imports from Iran worth 123.822 million US dollars.
Iran and Tajikistan have previously carried out joint infrastructure projects in Tajikistan. But after a period of cold relations, the first official visit of Ebrahim Raisi as the president of Iran to Dushanbe changed the relations. Iran also paid attention to the financing of several projects in Tajikistan. Tajikistan is interested in access to Iran’s seaports and transit. The two sides have signed 17 cooperation agreements.
