TEHRAN - The deputy transport ministers of Iran and Tajikistan signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for boosting road transport cooperation, Tasnim News Agency reported.

The Iran-Tajikistan Joint Road Transport Committee held a meeting on Wednesday in Tehran and an MOU was signed between the Head of Iran Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization (RMTO) Dariush Amani and the deputy transport minister of Tajikistan for promoting road and transport ties.

During the meeting, Iran’s deputy roads minister pointed to the policy taken by the administration of President Ebrahim Raisi for developing relations with its neighboring countries in the region and called this possibility not only the beginning of a new era for strengthening road transport ties but also the beginning of deepening relations in other fields.

Amani also highlighted the strategic location of Iran as a bridge connecting China and Central Asia with Western Asia and Europe, the website of Iran’s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development reported.

The deputy transport minister of Tajikistan called the meeting an opportunity to use the available capacities to promote ties between the two nations.

Shayesta Moradzadeh emphasized the location of Tajikistan at the heart of Central Asia, as a country with hidden capacities in various fields of transportation.

In the meeting, the two sides emphasized the necessity of using the capacities of international corridors such as the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Iran (KTAI) transport corridor, the southern route of the East-West corridor, and the eastern part of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

The head of the Tajik delegation invited the head of Iran’s Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization to take part in the international conference on "Road to Tien Shan", which will be held next month.

EF/