TEHRAN- Iran’s commercial attaché in Uzbekistan, referring to more than $280 million in trade between the two countries in the first five months of this year, cited agricultural exports, technological cooperation, and joint investment as key pillars for expanding Iran-Uzbekistan trade.

According to IRNA, citing the Iran Trade Promotion Organization, Rahmatollah Khormali said, emphasizing the growing trend of trade cooperation between the two countries: Follow-ups by the agriculture ministries of Iran and Uzbekistan paved the way for sending a 120-member delegation headed by the Minister of Agriculture and a group of activists and experts in agriculture, aquaculture, machinery, and processing industries to Uzbekistan.

He described Uzbekistan as one of the most populous countries in Central Asia and added: Uzbekistan ranks second among Iran’s export destinations among the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and has considerable capacity for expanding trade relations with Iran. Meanwhile, agriculture is one of the priority areas in developing trade between the two countries.

Referring to Iran-Uzbekistan trade figures, Khormali stated: In the first five months of this year, the trade volume between the two countries reached about $280 million. During this period, despite regional conditions and their impact on Iran’s trade activities, we did not see a decline in exchanges with Uzbekistan, and we hope that with continued dispatch and hosting of trade delegations and stronger ties between the two countries’ economic actors, the trade growth trend will continue in the coming months.

Iran’s commercial attaché in Uzbekistan described food security as another important area of cooperation between the two countries and said: In the Uzbek government structure, a Food Security Agency has been established with the aim of ensuring and improving food security in areas such as livestock, poultry, quarantine, and food products, which can provide a basis for developing specialized and commercial cooperation between Iran and Uzbekistan.

Citing some of Iran’s agricultural export advantages to Uzbekistan, he noted: Currently, products such as citrus fruits, apples, kiwis, pistachios, dates, dairy products, powdered milk, and fish feed are exported from Iran to Uzbekistan, and given the capacity of this country’s market, there is also room to expand and diversify Iran’s export basket.

Khormali also addressed the potential for technological cooperation and said: About 30 projects worth $770 million in various fields, including agriculture, are being implemented in Uzbekistan by Iranian companies, which indicates the considerable capacity of Iran’s private sector to enter the Uzbek market.

In conclusion, Iran’s commercial attaché in Uzbekistan considered the holding of specialized meetings and increased interaction among officials and economic actors of the two countries in various fields, especially agriculture, as paving the way for developing mutual cooperation and increasing the volume of Iran-Uzbekistan trade.

EF/MA