TEHRAN – Iran’s capital hosted the 12th Iran-Kyrgyzstan Joint Economic Committee meeting on December 3-4, during which the two sides discussed numerous issues regarding expansion of trade ties.

The event was co-chaired by Iranian Minister of Transport and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami and Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Transport and Roads Janat Beishenov, the portal of Iran’s Transport and Urban Development Ministry reported.

Speaking in the opening ceremony of the meeting on Tuesday, the Iranian transport minister underlined the two countries’ long history of good economic relations and said holding this joint economic committee meeting three years after the previous meeting is an indication of the two sides’ determination for boosting trade ties.

The official noted that the base for cooperation between the two sides will be the 10-year cooperation agreement which was inked between presidents of Iran and Kyrgyzstan in 2016.

As a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the trade agreement signed between Iran and EAEU, can boost relations between Iran and Kyrgyzstan, Eslami added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Eslami put the current volume of trade exchanged between Iran and Kyrgyzstan at $44 million.

For his part, Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Transport and Roads Janat Beishenov noted that expansion of economic relations with Iran is a priority for his country, and called for the removal of trade barriers between the two countries.

He further criticized the current level of trade between the two countries, saying that the potential of trade between the two sides is much more than the current levels.

He also called for Iranian engineers and experts to take part in various infrastructure projects in Kyrgyzstan.

EF/MA

Photo: Iranian Minister of Transport and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami (L) and Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Transport and Roads Janat Beishenov in the 12th Iran-Kyrgyzstan Joint Economic Committee meeting held in Tehran during December 3-4