Iran, Uzbekistan urge closer ties

Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has called for closer ties with Uzbekistan, stressing that the two countries have the potential for stronger relations, AVA Diplomatic reports.“We must try to strengthen our relations, particularly with regards to the issue of the [Central Asia-Persian Gulf] transit corridor, an agreement on which was signed recently in Turkmenistan,” Salehi said in a meeting with Uzbek Ambassador to Iran Elham Akramov.

According to an Iranian Foreign Ministry statement, Salehi described Uzbekistan as “an important country in Central Asia” and said that considering the potentials of the two countries the current Tehran-Tashkent trade volume is “inadequate.”

Salehi also expressed Iran’s readiness to expand relations with Uzbekistan in all fields.

The Uzbek ambassador for his part called for the expansion of ties with Iran.

In April, the foreign ministers of Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Qatar and Oman met in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat to attend a meeting on international transportation and goods transit cooperation.

The five foreign ministers signed an agreement on transportation and the transit of goods via railway, sea and land.

The deal will help to connect the Persian Gulf and Central Asia as well as to facilitate the transit of goods between regional countries.