Iranian Ambassador: Kyrgyzstan is one of the priority countries for us in the field of bilateral cooperation

 31.01.2019- Iran and Kyrgyzstan are building bilateral relations based primarily on the principles of fraternity and mutual understanding. Over the past few years, our relations have moved to a new level; commodity turnover has increased, new opportunities have emerged for active cooperation,” Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ali Mojtaba Ruzbehani told at a press conference.
The Ambassador noted that the two states are ones of the few countries that have a promising long-term plan for the development of the bilateral relations.
“Kyrgyzstan is a friendly and fraternal country for us. And in this regard, security and stability in Kyrgyzstan are our stability and security. If we touch on the level of modern relations and give some results, I can say that the past year was very fruitful for our countries. We managed to reach an understanding in many directions, both in strategic terms, in trade and economics. Signed a number of documents and agreements. Our relations have reached such a level that we are currently working on documents of cooperation in such matters as the fight against international terrorism, extremism and illicit drug trafficking. In addition, our countries actively cooperate on various platforms of international organizations. One example of the quality of our relations is that President of the Kyrgyz Republic Mr. Sooronbay Jeenbenkov invited our President Mr. Hassan Rouhani to take part in the upcoming Shanghai Organization and Cooperation Summit. Here it is important to emphasize that our President hasn’t visited any of the countries of the region as often as Kyrgyzstan,” the Ambassador said.
Referring to economic indicators, growth rates of commodity turnover and business partnerships, the Ambassador noted that over the year these figures had doubled.
“Our President has set a clear task before us, which says that we should buy all the necessary products, first of all, in Kyrgyzstan. It means that Kyrgyz products are a priority for us. As is known, we managed to ensure a smooth supply line of meat products, beans and other goods from the republic. According to the data of our customs services, the trade turnover for the last year amounted to approximately $ 44 million, and a few years earlier these figures were approximately $ 24 million. We also intend to actively cooperate with the EAEU; all relevant documents have already been prepared and at this time we expect ratification of these agreements in the parliaments of the Union member countries. In general, we aim to maintain a business dialogue with partners and improve mutually beneficial economic indicators,” Ambassador Ruzbehani assured.
In his speech, the Ambassador also expressed the hope that Kyrgyzstan and Iran could cooperate in different economic directions. He said that in addition to food products, countries can also actively cooperate in the field of tourism and supply of oil products, in particular fuel oil.
The Ambassador also spoke about the issues that currently make it a bit more difficult to develop economic relations between the two countries. So, according to him, the main problem is the lack of direct flights, as well as the lack of banking services, in particular, money transfers. “We will solve all these issues with our colleagues from Kyrgyzstan. As regards banking services, joint work is already underway between the national banks of Kyrgyzstan and Iran. I would like to note that when we were constrained by international sanctions, this sphere could not be established, but now all sanctions have been lifted and there is an opportunity to cooperate,” the Iranian Ambassador concluded.

Source: http://www.ecocci.org.tr/haber_goster.php?Guid=0bc59bd3-25fd-11e9-8052-0023269dc0e2