TEHRAN – The 13th meeting of Iran-Tajikistan Joint Economic Committee kicked off in Tehran on Monday and will be wrapped up on Tuesday, the portal of the Iranian Energy Ministry (known as Paven) reported.

Attended by senior officials from both sides, the event is chaired by Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian and Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan Usmonali Uzmonzoda.

Speaking in the meeting’s opening ceremony, Ardakanian mentioned the positive relations between the two countries, saying “Relations between the two countries have entered a new phase, the two sides should use the existing capacities for further development of all-out ties.”

The official criticized the current level of trade between the two countries, and noted that the volume of bilateral trade is currently not at a satisfactory level and is far from the two governments’ stated goals, especially after the constructive meeting of the two countries’ presidents on the sidelines of the Fifth Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Dushanbe back in June.

He further underlined banking and educational cooperation, facilitating the activities of Iranian investors and traders in Tajikistan, and completing the Independence Tunnel project as some of the important issues in the two countries' economic relations, and called for more serious cooperation and determination of Tajikistan's executive bodies.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ardakanian mentioned agriculture, health, joining the two countries’ electricity networks, water, education, communication and information technology, transportation and trade as some of the potential areas for mutual cooperation and expressed hope that, given the determination of the two governments, obstacles and problems in the way of expansion of economic relations between the two neighbors would be removed.

EF/MA