TEHRAN – Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam-Hossein Shafeie met with Kyrgyzstan's ambassador to Tehran Turdakun Sydykov on Tuesday to discuss ways of expanding trade ties between the two countries.

As reported by the ICCIMA portal, in this meeting the two sides explored the two countries' trade capacities while discussing rail, and air transportation problems, and visa issues.

Speaking in the meeting, Sydykov noted that Kyrgyzstan attaches great importance to economic cooperation with Iran in various fields, especially in joint ventures, saying that currently, the conditions are right for the activities of foreign investors in both countries.

He further mentioned ICCIMA’s great experience in cooperating with the private sectors of other countries, saying: “Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture has good experience in the field of economic relations with different countries and we have also had good relations with Iran Chamber of Commerce.”

“The President of Kyrgyzstan attaches great importance to the development of economic cooperation and investment in the energy sector. We invite our Iranian partners to invest in our country’s energy and hydropower sectors since Iran has good experience in the construction of hydropower plants.” Sydykov said.

The official mentioned some of the previous agreements reached between the two countries and said: “We have also had the experience of cooperating with Iran; two agreements were signed with the Kyrgyz National Energy Holding Company and the Ministry of Energy, but nothing has been done yet and we are currently working on them.”

Elsewhere in the meeting, Shafeie mentioned historical political, trade, and cultural ties between Iran and Kyrgyzstan and noted that Iran was one of the first countries to recognize Kyrgyzstan's independence.

“Kyrgyzstan has the strongest free economic rules, and this is interesting for Iranian businessmen. We have the least regulation differences with Kyrgyzstan compared to other countries. Kyrgyzstan is rich in natural resources and is highly attractive in the agriculture and mining sectors. It is also one of the richest countries in terms of water resources. This capacity is important for water-scarce countries such as Iran, and it is a good place for extraterrestrial cultivation,” Shafeie said.

“Iran’s mining industry is well-developed, and Kyrgyzstan has good gold mines, which could be a proper ground for cooperation,” he added.

EF/MA

Photo: ICCIMA Head Gholam-Hossein Shafeie (R) and Kyrgyzstan's ambassador to Tehran Turdakun Sydykov