The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Olzhas Bektenov, met with the First Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad-Reza Aref, during a meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Almaty. They discussed the deepening of trade and economic relations, cooperation in agriculture, transport and logistics, as well as investment interaction, reports the business information center Kapital.kz, citing the press service of the government head.
During the negotiations, the parties noted that the Islamic Republic of Iran's acquisition of observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union in December of last year contributes to the development of bilateral relations across all areas. Iran is a friendly neighbor of Kazakhstan in the Caspian region. In the first 11 months of last year, trade turnover between the countries increased by 8.1%, reaching nearly $300 million. The Kazakh side expressed interest in diversifying, expanding the range, and increasing the volume of exports across 60 types of goods valued at over $132 million. Notably, this year, over 26 million tons of grain have been harvested in Kazakhstan. Domestic exporters are ready to meet Iran's demand for grain products, including wheat, barley, and oilseeds. Overall, in the first 11 months of last year, the turnover of agricultural products between Kazakhstan and Iran increased by 25%, reaching $186 million.
Issues of cooperation in the transport and logistics sector were discussed, focusing on increasing freight volumes within the framework of the international "North-South" corridor, expanding transit capabilities, and developing infrastructure. The prospects for modernizing the terminals of Kazakh (Aktau, Kuryk) and Iranian (Anzali, Amirabad) ports were also considered.
"Our main goal is to fully implement the tasks defined by the heads of state and elevate Kazakhstan-Iran cooperation to a qualitatively new level. The potential of our trade and economic partnership is high, and we have ample opportunities for its further development. I believe that today's negotiations, conducted in the spirit of friendship and mutual respect, will strengthen multilateral cooperation between our countries," emphasized Olzhas Bektenov.
"Our countries are geographically and territorially linked. A constructive political dialogue has been established between the leaders of our nations. The heads of the two states have set a goal for their governments to increase bilateral trade to $3 billion. We are ready for comprehensive discussions on expanding bilateral cooperation," noted Mohammad-Reza Aref.
Earlier, the Minister of Agriculture, Aydarbek Saparov, met with the General Director of the investment company Fawakeh Trading Company, Hassan Heydarinasab.
The Minister noted that positive results in trade and economic cooperation between Kazakhstan and Iran are expected by the end of 2024. For the first time in several years, exports of Kazakh grain have increased 30-fold, totaling around 500,000 tons.
"Supplies of grain to Iran have resumed. We are ready to provide comprehensive support to Iranian businesses and create all conditions for expanding the export of domestic agricultural products," said Aydarbek Saparov.
In turn, Hassan Heydarinasab emphasized interest in increasing the import of grains to 3 million tons annually.
The Food Corporation may act as a partner for Iranian investors.