Kazakhstan, Iran to hold business forum

/By AzerNews/

By Amina Nazarli

Delegation of Kazakhstan headed by Minister for Investment and Development of Kazakhstan, Asset Issekeshev, will visit Tehran on February 6-8 to held first major business event after lifting the sanctions against Iran.

During the meeting particular attention will be paid to the development of Kazakhstan's export to Iran including metal products, construction materials, pellets, grain and more.

A Kazakh-Iranian Business Forum attended by 40 representatives of Kazakh large enterprises and 150 largest corporations of Iran is also planned.

Within its framework, the sides will discuss further cooperation on infrastructure and industrial projects, as well as implementation of joint projects.

During the visit, Issekeshev will hold a number of meetings with officials, including the ministers of transport and agriculture, as well as with representatives of the business circles of Iran.

Kazakhstan will feature its opportunities and measures of state support for foreign investors.

Currently, Kazakhstan exports to Iran wheat, some oil products and valuable metals, while imports fruit, vegetables, household goods and construction from Iran.

Lifting the economic sanctions imposed on Tehran in 2005, will give a new impetus for the development of relations in many spheres between these two countries, both rich with hydrocarbon resources.

It’s also new opportunities for trade and economic cooperation between the two states. If previously the relations between Iran and Kazakhstan were internal and the two countries used their capacity to meet their needs, then now the two sides can reach the level of more than bilateral. Kazakhstan can use Iranian territory to transport goods to the third countries including Afghanistan and Iraq.

It’s expected that Tehran and Almaty to be keen to improve mutual cooperation in air communication, as earlier the sides declared their readiness to increase the direct flights between the two countries, which are carried out only twice a week currently.

Development of Kazakh-Iranian cooperation in transport and logistics sector is predicted to be “the start of a new era” for the region, since railway will connect two neighboring countries such as Iraq and Azerbaijan. And the essence of this project is that Kazakhstan will be connected with regions of the Caucasus and the Middle East.