ALMATY - Kazakh Foreign Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev said Kazakhstan attaches great importance to Iran in its foreign trade and policies. Speaking to IRNA on the threshold of the Akmola summit meet of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), slated for May 11, Tokayev said Iran is a major economic power in region. He said in his 1996 visit to Iran, he conveyed President Nursultan Nazarbayev's message to the then Iranian administration informing the Iranian authorities of special importance Kazakhstan gives to expansion of cooperation with Iran. Tokayev said his country is fully aware of the key role Iran plays in regional economy and politics, adding that promotion of bilateral cooperation is top on agenda of Akmola's foreign policy.

He said that such a principled policy is subject to no political considerations in the world arena. Tokayev also underlined expansion of Kazakhstan relations with ECO members and said more steps should be taken to further strengthen cooperation among ECO member states. The 10-member organization, with a population of 300 million, possesses rich natural resources in one of the most strategic regions of the world, he said.

(IRNA)