Iran, Uzbekistan sign 17 MoUs during Pres. Raeisi's visit to expand ties
Iran and Uzbekistan have signed a total of 17 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) as the two countries seek to expand their bilateral ties.
The documents were signed on Wednesday in a ceremony attended by Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi, his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev and their accompanying delegations of ministers and government officials in the Uzbek city of Samarkand.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency said the MoUs would allow Iran and Uzbekistan to boost their cooperation in the fields of trade, cargo transit, cultural exchanges, health and customs issues, among others.
Raeisi’s website said in a report that Iranian president had hailed the signing of the documents as a major step toward the expansion of economic and trade ties between Iran and Uzbekistan.
Raeisi said the two countries can easily increase the size of their bilateral trade by three to four times from a current annual figure of around $500 million.
The Iranian president has traveled to Samarkand to attend a key summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Iran applied for SCO memberships last year during the bloc’s summit in Tajikistan. Reports have said that Raeisi will sign a binding document of the SCO membership during the Samarkand summit planned for September 15-16.
The move will pave the way for Iran’s full membership in the eight-member bloc, which include Russia and China, in April next year.
During his meeting with Mirziyoyev on Wednesday, Raeisi appreciated Uzbekistan’s endorsement of Iran’s SCI membership bid.
Seeking warmer ties with neighbors and regional countries has been a key plank of Raeisi’s foreign policy efforts since he came to office in August 2021.
His administration has touted increased trade ties with countries in the Central Asia region, including Uzbekistan, as a major success for Iran at a time the country is facing foreign economic pressure.
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