Tehran, Dushanbe discuss expansion of transit, trade ties

In a meeting with a Tajik delegation in Tehran, Iranian Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development Shahriar Afandizadeh, referring to the cultural and religious commonalities and common interests and language, said Iran is ready for further cooperation in all modes of air, land and marine transportation, reported mrud.ir. “Iran has access to high seas and Central Asian countries can easily use the route,” said the Iranian official.

Iranian ports are ready to receive investment from Tajikistan’s private sector, and considering the international corridors, the two sides can have bilateral or multilateral cooperation, Afandizadeh noted.

Referring to the growth of rail transport between Iran and Tajikistan during last year and current year, he suggested that a rail committee be convened as soon as possible.

The meeting also focused on the presence of the Tajik side in Iranian ports, especially the southeastern port of Chabahar, for access to high seas.

The launch of a cargo airline as well as the need to activate the KTAI corridor, including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Iran through the ECO, were other important issues raised at the meeting.

Offering discounts to Tajiks to increase rail relations, announcing readiness to cooperate in ports and forming a joint Iranian-Tajik company to use Chabahar were among the proposals made by Iranian official during the meeting.

Also, the necessity of cooperation in regional corridors and following up on the establishment of a logistics center by the private sector companies of the two countries was emphasized in the meeting.

They also decided to review the proposals of both parties and sign a comprehensive document in the field of transportation during a meeting in Tehran or Monday.