Tehran, IRNA – Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf has said that the expansion of economic ties and visa exemption between Uzbekistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran has been emphasized during his trip to Tashkent.
Qalibaf, heading a parliamentary delegation, arrived in Uzbekistan on Tuesday for a three-day visit, when he held talks with Uzbek president, parliaments’ speakers, merchants as well as Iranian expat producers.
Explaining his trip to Uzbekistan, the Iranian top lawmaker mentioned that the visit has been held at the official invitation of Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan Nuriddinjon Ismoilov, and that he met with Chairmen of the Senate of Uzbekistan Tanzila Norbaeva as well as President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Routinely, a gathering with Iranian expatriates was held before the official meetings, when issues regarding economic and trade topics were discussed and the participants informed the parliamentary delegation of their concerns, the Iranian speaker noted.
For the first time after Uzbekistan’s independence, a parliament speaker from Iran attended the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan and discussed important issues such as development of parliamentary, economic and cultural cooperation, Qalibaf added.
As to the significance of Uzbekistan in the region, the Iranian official said that the Central Asian country enjoys eye-catching capacity in terms of cultural and economic arenas, and that the state has experienced remarkable growth in mining sector, and its economic growth stood at 7.5 percent and their GDP reached 70 billion dollars in recent years.
The two countries possess deep historic and cultural connections, which can be used to promote joint cooperation, he argued.
Since Uzbekistan does not have any access to international waters, the Central Asian state is keen on expansion of collaborations with the Islamic Republic of Iran to be provided with the opportunity to reach the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, the parliament speaker went on to say.
During three different meetings with Uzbekistan’s authorities, all sides agreed upon paving the ground for reaching an agreement on exemption of visa for tradesmen, transit drivers as well as facilitation of travel for tourists from both countries, when President Ebrahim Raisi takes part in the 2022 annual summit of the SCO Heads of State Council, which will be held on September 15-16 in Samarkand.
He expressed hope that preparation of a detailed program can help increase mutual economic exchanges from 500 million dollars to 2 billion dollars in the future.
Source: Islamic Republic News Agency – IRNA
