TEHRAN – A permanent exhibition of Iranian knowledge-based products will be held in the city of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, aiming to pave the way for increased cooperation between the two countries.

Organized by the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology and the Innovation Fund, the exhibition has been held in several countries, including China, Kenya, Syria, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Oman, and will soon be held in Kyrgyzstan.

Our knowledge-based companies have the potential to increase the level of trade between Kyrgyzstan and Iran to move towards joint production, as the same happened in neighboring countries such as the Balkans and Eurasia, Siavash Maleki, deputy head of the Innovation Fund stated.

Today, about 6,500 knowledge-based companies operate in various fields of communications, advanced materials, chemicals, construction, and mining in the country, he stated, highlighting the readiness of these firms for international cooperation and bilateral interactions.

Saeed Kharazi, Iran's ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, said that during the first nine months of the current [Iranian calendar] year (March 21, 2021), Iran and Kyrgyzstan’s trade worth of $63 million, an increase of over 180 percent compared to the same period last year, however, economic cooperation must increase.

Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Iran Turdakun Sydykov said that Kyrgyzstan’s economy is dynamic and developing so that foreign and Iranian investors are widely present in our country.

He further expressed readiness to develop cooperation between the two countries, adding that Iranian knowledge-based companies can benefit from the capacities of power plants, water, railways, roads, agriculture, healthcare, and tourism.

“We support any foreign investment and there is no obstacle to the development of cooperation between Iran and Kyrgyzstan. In 2022, we enacted a new law for factories and companies based on knowledge and technology, according to which they are exempt from paying taxes if their annual income is less than $120,000,” he stated.

There are currently 55 approved technology and innovation projects in various fields in Kyrgyzstan. The hydropower project is among Kyrgyzstan’s most important technological projects.

Kyrgyzstan has good agricultural, livestock, and poultry fields, and Iranian foundations can benefit from this capacity, he added.

Iranian knowledge-based goods to be produced in 7 countries

Iran will launch production lines of knowledge-based products in seven countries, namely Turkey, Armenia, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Syria, Iraq, and Kenya, Marzieh Shaverdi, the manager of the Innovation and Prosperity Fund, said on December 4.

The Vice Presidency for Science and Technology will provide special support to facilitate export for knowledge-based companies with quality products over the next 6 months.

Exporting technological products of Iranian knowledge-based companies is one of the important and key programs of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, and in this regard, three houses of innovation and technology were inaugurated in Kenya, China and Syria.

And countries like Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are set to host innovation houses in the near future.

Mehdi Ghalehnoei, an official with the Vice Presidency, said in February 2021 that last year, knowledge-based companies gained about $800 million in revenue from export, and this year it seems to reach up to $2 billion.

“Africa, neighboring countries, Southeast Asia and Eurasia are our export target priorities, and we hope to create Iranian innovation and technology in all these areas,” he added.

FB/MG