TEHRAN - Mozaffar Hosseinzadeh, Tajikistan’s Deputy Foreign Minister, on Saturday met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on the eve of the Tajik president’s trip to Iran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.

In the meeting, Amir Abdollahian expressed pleasure at the Tajik president’s visit to Tehran and described it as highly important for the expansion of bilateral ties. He reiterated that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Tajikistan have many historical, civilizational, cultural and linguistic commonalities and this huge potential will pave the way for the expansion of ties between the two brotherly and friendly nations.

The Tajik deputy foreign minister also underlined the importance of bilateral ties in different areas and declared Tajikistan’s readiness to develop ties with the Islamic Republic. The two officials also exchanged views over the latest issues in bilateral ties as well as the latest follow-ups and agreements during the Iranian president’s visit to Tajikistan in 2021.

Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian also received Iranian Ambassador to Tajikistan Mohammad Taghi Saberi on the eve of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon’s visit to Tehran.

In the meeting, Saberi gave a report on the latest developments in ties between Iran and Tajikistan and the significant growth in bilateral economic and trade cooperation as well as finalized memoranda of understanding that were to be approved by the two presidents on Sunday.

Amir Abdollahian also stressed the significance of Iran’s ties with Tajikistan, especially given their cultural affinities and common language.

He also underlined the necessity of expanding cooperation in various fields, particularly in trade and economic spheres.

In the meeting, the two sides reviewed the details and content of the Tajik president’s visit to Tehran.

The Tajik president arrived in Tehran on Sunday. 

Ezzatollah Zarghami, the Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism, announced that a memorandum of understanding previously concluded with Tajikistan will be activated soon.

In a statement on Sunday, Zarghami said that the executive program of the memorandum of tourism cooperation between the two countries will be signed during the upcoming visit of the Tajik president to Tehran.

He noted that the memorandum was signed last year when the Iranian president visited the Tajik capital, Dushanbe.

The Iranian minister added that many Tajiks want to travel to Iran, in light of the quality and services provided in the health field. “We are targeting low-cost tourism between the two sides,” he said, according to Al Alam.

By creating coordination among the countries that are members of the Economic Cooperation Organization “we aim to allow tourists to travel at low costs by buses and their personal cars” to Iran, he added.

Earlier this month, the fifth Joint Consular Meeting of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Tajikistan was held in Dushanbe on Thursday.

The meeting was attended by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary and Expatriates Affairs Alireza Bigdeli and Sharaf Sheralizoda, the Tajik Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic and Consular Affairs, as well as consular experts of the two countries.

The two sides exchanged views and reached an agreement on consular affairs, including facilitating the issuance of tourism visas, commerce and investment, resolution of issues facing students, expansion of consular-judicial cooperation, support for the rights of Iranian citizens and companies active in Tajikistan, cooperation over illegal migration and human trafficking, fight against terrorism, and the issue of nationality.

The Tajik side announced that it had started issuing electronic visas for Iranian citizens as the situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is returning to normal.

The Iranian team, in turn, called for the facilitation of issuing visas by eliminating the intermediaries and easing the administrative procedure.

The two sides agreed to put forward and discuss a plan for eliminating tourism visas within the framework of their consular talks.