TEHRAN - President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has said his country is eager to boost all-out cooperation with Iran, especially in trade, energy, mining, and health sectors.

"Iran is today a powerful country with great economic, cultural, and intellectual capabilities," Mirziyoyev said on Tuesday while receiving the credentials of Mohammad-Ali Eskandari, Iran's ambassador to Uzbekistan at the Presidential Office.

"Uzbekistan is interested in expanding cooperation with Iran in the fields of mining, energy, chemical industries, agriculture, health, and pharmaceuticals," he stressed.

The Uzbek president said that plans have been put in place to increase the volume of trade between the two countries to $1.0 billion per year.

Eskandari, in turn, conveyed the warm greetings of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to his Uzbek counterpart and highlighted his government's policy of maximum interaction with the neighboring countries.

Earlier this month, Eskandari met with the Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan Laziz Kudratov to discuss expanding economic, trade, and industrial ties.

Referring to the recent mutual visits of economic officials from both countries and the resulting agreements, Eskandari emphasized the need to facilitate the process of economic and trade relations between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Kudratov expressed satisfaction with the increased trade relations between the two countries in recent years and the goals set by the two countries' presidents to raise the volume of bilateral trade to one billion dollars.

Additionally, he called for advocating plans that would accelerate the implementation process.

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Photo: President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev (R) met with Iran’s new Ambassador to his country Mohammad-Ali Eskandari on Tuesday, May 7.