ECONOMIC IDEAL – Tehran, May 4, IRNA – Minister of Foreign Affairs Beibut Atamkulov said that his country is willing to broaden cooperation with Iran in various fields, including fighting extremism.
In a meeting with Iran's Ambassador to Nur-Sultan (formerly known as Astana), Majid Saber, the Kazakh minister said that his country is interested in stretching relations with Tehran in various spheres, including economy, trade, transportation, visa, parliament, culture, and fighting extremism.
Saying that he has a good understanding of Iran's capabilities in various fields, Atamkulov expressed readiness to visit Iran in response to an official invitation from his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.
The two countries have been enjoying a high level of constructive political relations since the independence of Kazakhstan from the former Soviet Union 27 years ago, the foreign minister said.
The Iranian ambassador, for his part, said that the good relations between the two countries, as well as neighborliness are appropriate grounds for economic sectors of both Iran and Kazakhstan to use the geographical proximity for the maximum cooperation.
He also requested the Kazakh side to contribute to the economic cooperation by easing visa issuance to Iranian tourists and businesspersons.
The two sides at the meeting emphasized the importance of holding the 16th joint economic commission.
Kazakhstan with a population of 18 million and an area of 2.7 million kilometers lies on the northwestern coast of the Caspian Sea.
The trade value between the two countries in 2018 was $516 million.
An Iranian Navy flotilla docked in the Kazakh Aktau Port last week in a symbolic act of peace and friendship.
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