President of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Gholam Hossein Shafei said on Tuesday that Kyrgyzstan has rich water resources which provides a good opportunity for Iran to cooperate with the country in the field of extraterritorial cultivation.
Shafei made the remarks in a meeting with Kyrgyzstan's ambassador to Tehran Turdakun Sydykov.
The two sides discussed grounds for bilateral trade, hurdles on the way of rail and air transportation, as well as visa issuance problems.
Iran Chamber president referred to Iran’s capacities in mining industry and Kyrgyzstan’s rich gold mines, and said the two countries can cooperate in this area.
He also noted that Kyrgyzstan’s access to European Union's Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP) in 2016 was very important for Kyrgyzstan’s nearby countries.
Shafei added that Iran's view of Kyrgyzstan is not merely a view of a market of 5-6 million people but Iran is looking at the country as a gateway to the European Union.
Also speaking during the meeting, the Kyrgyz ambassador said that his country attaches special significance to joint investments with Iran in different economic projects. He noted that the time is ripe for presence of foreign investors in Kyrgyzstan.
He called on Iranian private sector to make investments in Kyrgyzstan’s energy sector and construction of hydroelectric power plants.
Underlining the need for increasing the number of direct flights between the two countries, Sydykov said that launching a direct flight between Tehran and Bishkek is of prime importance.
The ambassador also said that a quadrilateral agreement between Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan for construction of a railway can help promote economic relations among the four countries.