Iran, Kyrgyzstan ink MoUs on bilateral exchange

The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kyrgyz Republic have signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to increase bilateral exchanges in different fields.

The four MoUs were signed on Saturday during a visit by Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhoundi and Kyrgyz Minister of Transportation and Communication Zamierbek Aydarov in Bishkek.

The two sides hammered out the deals during a joint commission meeting to boost economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation, according to the official IRNA news agency.

The MoUs call for the formation of a joint investment council, energy and economic cooperation, agriculture as well as scientific and technological exchanges.

The Iranian minister also met with Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev and a number of high-raking officials during his trip to Bishkek.

The latest MoUs were signed during the 11th Joint Economic Commission Meeting in the Kyrgyz capital.

The last such convention was held in the Iranian capital, Tehran, in 2011.

Last year, the Kyrgyz president paid a visit to Tehran where he met with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani.

Iranian and Kyrgyz officials held talks on cooperation in different sectors, including the construction of a new railway track connecting Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and China.

President Rouhani paid an official visit to Kyrgyzstan in September 2013 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit. On the sidelines of the summit, he held talks with his Kyrgyz counterpart and a number of other senior officials taking part in the event.

Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are the six permanent members of the SCO. Iran, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia have observer status at the organization.

The Kyrgyz leader has thrown his country’s weight behind Iran’spermanent membership in the SCO.