Tehran, Astana Eye $3b Trade Volume
Tehran, Astana Eye $3b Trade Volume
Visiting Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangarin on Tuesday met with Iran’s Agriculture Minister Seyed Javad Sadatinejad and during the meeting both sides called for enhancing bilateral trade and increasing it to $3b.

TEHRAN (Iran News) –Visiting Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangarin on Tuesday met with Iran’s Agriculture Minister Seyed Javad Sadatinejad and during the meeting both sides called for enhancing bilateral trade and increasing it to $3b.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Sadatinejad said that Iran and Kazakhstan had several meetings during their joint economic commission and today’s meeting was the third in the recent months and it bespeaks of strong determination of both countries in the field of trade.

He added that presidents of both countries in recent months have reiterated that both countries have set the target of boosting bilateral trade to $3b, adding that the main trade exchanges between the two countries is agro products as Kazakhstan supplies grains to Iran and in return, Iran exports vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, dates and pistachios.

Sadatinejad noted that soon a joint committee on agriculture will be launched between the two countries to take the trade to the operational stage and to launch calendar and volume in the field of trade exchange.

He went on to say that due to the interest of Kazakhstan to the southern markets and need of north Iran to grains, Iran can provided grains in north in cooperation with Kazakhstan and in south, Iran can create transit route and even swap for trade of Kazakhstan with southern markets.

Sadatinejad said that Iran is interested in extraterrestrial cultivation agriculture in Kazakhstan and it was decided a joint meeting to be held in this field.

Meanwhile Zhumangarin told the reporters that currently the relation between the two countries has reached its strategic level.

He added that these meetings should lead to the rise in the trade exchanges and in today’s meeting, both sides exchanged views for boosting bilateral trade to $3b and at least one-thirds of this amount should be in the field of agriculture.

Zhumangarin noted that Kazakhstan is ready to send wheat and barley to Iran and it is also ready to import dates, pistachio, vegetables, fruits and citrus from Iran.

He reiterated that logistic is very crucial in trade, adding that using all logistical facilities from railway, plane, ship and road is in consideration and he wants to go to Bandar Abbas to study the condition for the launch of a terminal or construct infrastructures required for Kazakhstan’s trade.

He stated that today in the field of oil and agro products swap both sides exchanged views and the issue of electricity export among Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan was raised and both sides discussed the launch of a joint committee on agriculture  and it was decided both countries to launch a joint import and export for their agro products.

Zhumangarin also invited Iranian investors for investment in the city of Khorgos bordering China in order to have trade exchange with China. On the revoke of visas, he said that he had talks with road and urban development and reached agreements for signing a MoU for revoking visas.