TEHRAN – Ali Nourzad, Iran’s Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development, met with Foreign Affairs Minister Rasit Meredow of Turkmenistan in the capital city of Ashgabat, the Fars News Agency reported on Saturday.

Some high-ranking political figures, and also an expert panel, accompanied the Iranian deputy minister.

Ideas on bilateral ties were exchanged in the meeting. Especially, the two sides pondered over ways to put into effect bilateral agreements signed in the March visit of President Hassan Rouhani of Iran to Turkmenistan and also those commitments and projects adopted in the joint Turkmen-Iranian Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation, which was held on 25-27 July 2015 in Tehran.

Other themes debated were expansion of economic and trade ties, implementation of energy projects, and transportation.
In one of his recent provincial trips to formally start the construction operation of the second section and tunnels of Dargaz-Kabkan-Quchan linking road, Nourzad had already spoken of Turkmenistan being interested in transportation cooperation with Iran, especially, in commencing transportation via Bajgiran border. Nourzad had also talked of a relevant future agreement between Iran and Turkmenistan.

“Completion of the second section of the linking road will benefit the country’s economy greatly,” Nourzad had said, while adding, “the linking road once accomplished fully revives the transportation route between Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and the Central Asia.”

Turkmenistan was the 7th leading importer of Iranian non-oil goods in the previous Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, according to the Iran Customs Administration.     

Iran exported $973.65 million of non-oil goods to Turkmenistan and imported $113.72 million of non-oil goods from the country.   

In March, the two countries signed 17 cooperation documents in economic, cultural, political, legal, scientific, and technological fields. The two sides are determined to boost their bilateral trade to $60 billion by the next 10 years.  
AK/