During an Iran-Kazakhstan Business Forum in Tehran on Tuesday, the private sector activists urged the need for cancellation of visa requirements between the two countries.
The Forum was participated by Iranian Minister of Agriculture Javad Sadatinejad, President of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam Hossein Shafei, and Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Integration Sultanov Bakhyt and a large number of businesspeople from both countries.
Addressing the forum, Iran Chamber president said that trade between Iran and Kazakhstan never stopped in spite of the coronavirus disease and the two countries continued to be connected via sea borders.
Expansion of relations with Kazakhstan is one of the main agendas of Iran, Shafei said, adding that there is huge capacity for cooperation.
He highlighted that the Iran-Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan corridor has a special role in facilitating trade between Tehran and Nur-Sultan which he believed have to be paid due attention.
Shafei put the volume of trade between Iran and Kazakhstan at $440 million, while noting that the sum is not satisfactory and has yet to be increased.
In the meantime, Iranian agriculture minister called for further efforts of the private sectors of both Iran and Kazakhstan to enhance the level of bilateral trade and investment.
Noting that Iran’s exports to Kazakhstan stands at $165 million while Kazakhstan’s exports to Iran accounts for $275 million of bilateral trade, Sadatinejad said that the two countries can reach $3 billion bilateral trade within three years.
He underlined the need for removal of visa requirements for businesspeople from both countries.
Also speaking during the forum, Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister stressed the role of logistics in expansion of trade between Iran and Kazakhstan, noting that his country has engaged in talks with Turkmenistan to reduce transit tariffs so as to help facilitate trade between Iran and Kazakhstan via the corridor passing through Turkmenistan.