Landlocked Uzbekistan can count on Iran as trade gateway: Leader
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has reiterated Iran’s policy of using its expanding transport network to connect landlocked countries in Central Asia to the global trade markets.
In a Sunday meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tehran, Ayatollah Khamenei said that landlocked Uzbekistan can count on Iran’s transport routes for its plans to find access to open sea ports.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran is able to easily connect Uzbekistan to high seas via Turkmenistan and Afghanistan,” said the Leader in the meeting.
Iran has introduced extensive measures to help boost trade ties with Central Asian countries in recent years amid efforts to diversify its economy away from traditional crude oil exports.
The measures include border and customs arrangements with Turkmenistan, a country that lies between Iran and landlocked countries like Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The arrangements have also enticed Kazakhstan, a country that has ports on the Caspian Sea, to seek easier access to open seas via Iranian land and railway routes.
Ayatollah Khamenei’s comments on trade with Uzbekistan came hours after Iran and Uzbekistan signed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) to reduce tariffs on exports and imports between the two countries.
A list of goods and products that could enjoy lower tariffs under the PTA would be finalized within weeks, according to remarks by Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi in a meeting with Mirziyoyev on Sunday.
Mirziyoyev’s visit to Tehran is the first by an Uzbek president in 20 years. He leads a country which is the most populous in Central Asia and is home to some of the key landmarks of the Iranian history and culture.
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