Baku, Azerbaijan, April 12
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
Iran and Kazakhstan have decided to increase their volume of trade turnover to $1 billion per year, a senior Iranian official said.
Iranian Deputy Industry, Mine and Trade Minister Valiollah Afkhami Rad has said that the decision was made at a meeting between Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Iranian economic officials in Tehran, ILNA news agency reported.
Valiollah Afkhami Rad further added that during the meeting a number of Iranian businessmen discussed the issue of expansion of trade ties with President Nazarbayev.
According to the official, President Nazarbayev called on Iranian companies to cooperate in agricultural and mining sectors in his country.
Nazarbayev also pledged to take measures aimed at easing visa requirements for Iranian traders, Valiollah Afkhami Rad added.
According to Iranian Customs Administration, over the last fiscal year (ended March 20) the Islamic Republic imported goods worth at $87 million from Kazakhstan. Meanwhile Iran exported goods worth at $137 million to Kazakhstan.
During Kazakh president's visit to Iran, Tehran and Astana agreed on a total of 66 documents on cooperation between the two countries.
Addressing a joint press conference with Nazarbayev in Tehran April 11, President Hassan Rouhani described the documents signed during his Kazakh counterpart's visit as a turning point in ties between the two countries.