TEHRAN - The trade between the Islamic Republic of Iran and its neighbors has reached over $90 billion, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian says.

Ebrahim Raisi's government attaches importance to the establishment of relations with neighbors, Amirabdollahian said on Thursday on the sidelines of the 35th Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF).

Iran enjoys strong relations with all its northern, western, eastern, and southern neighbors, he noted.

Neighborhood policy has helped Iran to take important steps in the development of economy, science, and technology, as well as scientific, cultural tourism and academic cooperation, he added.

Given the high capacity in Iran in the field of industry and mining, the country has strong cooperation with neighboring countries, the Iranian foreign minister stated.

Civilization and Persian language issues are important in interaction with Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan, he said, adding that Iran has taken very effective measures in this regard and the recent visit of Raisi to Pakistan has been made within this framework.

Tehran International Book Fair is taking place from May 8 to 18 under the motto ‘Let’s Read, Create’.

In total, about 60 foreign publishers are taking part in the book fair, presenting around 50,000 books compared to 45,000 books last year.

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