Kazakhstan sees Iran as a ‘gateway’ to Southeast Asia and Africa: President
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stresses importance of developing the North-South Transport Corridor and the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway route
ISTANBUL
Iran is a “gateway” for Kazakhstan to the countries of Southeast Asia and the African continent, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said Thursday during a meeting in the capital Astana with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian.
Tokayev underscored the importance of developing the North-South Transport Corridor and the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway route, according to Kazakhstan’s presidential press service Akorda
Pezeshkian paid his first visit to Astana, with the two leaders discussing strengthening Kazakh-Iranian cooperation in trade, economy, transport, logistics and cultural and humanitarian fields.
During the meeting Tokayev said that over the past 10 months, trade between Kazakhstan and Iran increased by 40% compared to last year.
"Today, approximately 700 Iranian companies are successfully operating in Kazakhstan, primarily in sectors such as industry, infrastructure and agriculture," he said, adding that Kazakh entrepreneurs are also actively investing in the mining industry, transport, logistics and food production in Iran.
Tokayev also expressed his gratitude to Iran for allocating land to Kazakhstan at Shahid Rajaee Port in Bandar Abbas in southern Iran and welcomed Iran to create a joint Free Economic Zone in the Mangystau region.
“I am confident that this step will enable the establishment of finished goods production from Iranian raw materials in Kazakhstan and ensure their subsequent delivery to countries in the region,” he said.
The two leaders also agreed to jointly build a historical and cultural complex dedicated to the early Arab philosopher Abu Nasr al-Farabi in Kazakhstan.
Meanwhile, Pezeshkian emphasized the close cooperation between countries within the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
“To date, bilateral trade has increased by 40%. This is a very positive indicator,” he said. “We previously agreed to increase mutual trade volumes to $3 billion. We will make every effort to achieve this goal.”
