Iran, Kyrgyzstan Discuss Rail Corridor Project

In a meeting, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Kyrgyz counterpart Ruslan Kazakbayev discussed the ways to boost relations between Tehran and Bishkek, especially the trade and economic cooperation.

Congratulating Amirabdollahian on his appointment as Iran’s top diplomat and proposing the launch of direct flights between Bishkek and Tehran, the Kyrgyz foreign minister expressed his country’s willingness to use the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas for transit cooperation.

Kazakbayev also described trade relations and the presence of the private sectors as a permanent basis for bilateral economic cooperation.

He then regretted a decline in the bilateral economic ties with Tehran, calling for an increase in such relations and announcing readiness to facilitate the presence of the Iranian private sector in Kyrgyzstan.

The Kyrgyz foreign minister said his country's internal conditions are better than ever for the presence of Iranian economic activists, calling for the two countries to work together on cooperation within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union.

He also said Kyrgyzstan is ready to cooperate in the construction of a railroad corridor between the two countries.

For his part, Amirabdollahian noted that the foreign policy of the new Iranian administration gives priority to the neighbors, thanked Kyrgyzstan for supporting Iran's membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and expressed hope that the membership would increase trade between the two nations.

Announcing Iran’s readiness to use new mechanisms for the growth of trade relations with Kyrgyzstan, the Iranian foreign minister said there have been talks on railroad cooperation between the two countries which have led to a memorandum of understanding.

Amirabdollahian then described the ready frameworks of the Eurasian Economic Union as one of the ways to expand trade relations, saying the private sectors of Iran and Kyrgyzstan are interested in serious cooperation, but the issue needs to be strengthened.

The foreign minister said the Iranian private sector is ready to set up a business center in Bishkek, adding that, in addition to the business sector, leading Iranian knowledge-based companies can be stationed in that center.

Amirabdollahian finally voiced Iran’s readiness to provide transit access and facilitate access to ports for the Kyrgyz exports and imports, and stressed the need to activate a joint commission and bilateral committees between the two countries, the Iranian Foreign Ministry reported.