TEHRAN – The Statistical Center of Iran (SCI) and Afghanistan Central Statistics Office (ACSO) signed an MOU here on Tuesday according to which Iran will cooperate with Afghanistan in conducting census in this country in 2007.

The SCI Public Relations Department officer, Haj Malek Zanjani said that according to this cooperation agreement, Iran is supposed to train the Afghan statisticians.

He also said that getting better acquainted with the structural issues of census, preparing training programs, establishing an executing organization, supervision and control methods, and gathering information techniques are the main objectives defined in this memorandum of understanding.

According to Zanjani, the MOU highlights the necessity of dispatching senior Iranian census experts and statisticians to Afghanistan to train their colleagues in this country.

SCI for its turn will host a delegation of officials from Afghanistan Central Statistics Office.

The Afghan delegation will participate in the training and executive activities of the sixth general census of Iran that is scheduled to be held in Iran within a month.

The recent program aims at creating capacities in Afghanistan Central Statistics Office and funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).