Iran Ready for Cooperation with Kazakhstan in War on Terror, Drugs

Iran is fully prepared to work with Kazakhstan in the battle against terrorism and narcotics and in the establishment of sustainable security in the region, President Hassan Rouhani said in a meeting with his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, held on the sidelines of the summit of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in Armenia’s capital Yerevan on Tuesday.

Expressing Tehran’s willingness to promote political, economic, scientific and cultural ties with Nur-Sultan, Rouhani described Iran’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union as a perfect opportunity for the development of business ties with the EAEU members, Kazakhstan in particular.

The Iranian president further highlighted the significance of the convention on the legal regime of the Caspian Sea that the five Caspian littoral states signed in the Kazakh city of Aktau in August 2018, stressing that the Caspian Sea must remain the “sea of peace and friendship” without the presence of foreign forces.

Rouhani also pointed to the significance of Iran-Kazakhstan cooperation within the framework of the international North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC), saying the two countries will have better opportunities for cooperation as soon as the railroad link reaches Iran’s northwestern port city of Anzali.

The Kazakh leader, for his part, hailed Iran as a good and reliable neighbor for his country, stressing that Nur-Sultan welcome’s Tehran’s accession to the EAEU as a new trade partner.

In comments before leaving Tehran to Yerevan on Monday, Rouhani said Iran will officially join the Eurasian Economic Union on October 27, marking the Islamic Republic’s first membership in a regional economic union.

He noted that according to Iran’s agreement with the EAEU, 502 Iranian goods will be subject to preferential tariff rates for the exports to the EAEU members.