Iranian, Kazakh Officials Discuss Expansion of Bilateral Relations
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iranian deputy foreign minister and a senior Kazakh parliamentarian on Monday discussed the latest regional issues, and also explored the avenues to broaden ties between Tehran and Astana in diverse fields.
In a Monday meeting between Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Parliamentary and Iranian Expatriates Affairs Hassan Qashqavi and Mualen Ashimbayev, chairman of the commission on international affairs, defense and security of Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the two officials conferred on promotion of parliamentary ties and political and economic relations between the two nations.
Qashqavi referred to the meeting between Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the 13th annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek as a clear sign of the two countries’ resolve to expand relations in all fields.
The visiting Kazakh lawmaker, for his part, emphasized the need for a boost in trade between Tehran and Astana, and also called for the completion of Iran-Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan railroad.
In 2007, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan signed an agreement to construct the North-South Transnational Corridor.
The rout will link Uzen in Kazakhstan with Gyzylgaya-Bereket-Etrek in Turkmenistan and end at Gorgan in the Iranian province of Golestan. Then it will be connected to Iran’s national rail network, making its way to the Persian Gulf ports.
On September 12, Iranian president and his Kazakh counterpart met on the sidelines of an SCO summit in the Kyrgyz capital city of Bishkek and underlined the two countries’ resolve to bolster bilateral relations in all fields.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a political, economic and military organization which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and Mongolia are observer states of the SCO.
Kazakhstan and Iran are two of the five Caspian littoral states that also include Russia, the Republic of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.
In late October Kazakhstan's naval chief, Rear Admiral Zhanarbek Zhanzakov paid a visit to Iran during which he signed a Memorandum of Understanding with his Iranian counterpart which included agreements on an exchange program for cadets and facilitating repairs and the servicing of vessels at each other's ports.