Iran ready to meet Uzbekistan’s energy needs
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that his country is ready to enhance relations with Uzbekistan and meet Uzbekistan’s energy needs.
In a meeting with Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Komilov in Tehran on Wednesday, Rouhani said historical bonds between the two nations, along with cultural and civilizational commonalities, as well as common national and regional interests have brought the two countries closer together despite a lack of common borders, IRNA reported.
Rouhani said Iran is prepared to satisfy Uzbekistan’s demands for energy and provide the Central Asian nation with technical and engineering services.
Highlighting Iran’s advances in new technologies, the president said Iranian companies are ready for a more active presence in Uzbekistan.
He also called for efforts to facilitate the transit of goods between the two countries, promote banking interaction, and ease visa regulations to encourage the private sectors of the two sides to seize the available opportunities, Tasnim News Agency reported.
Describing a push to ensure regional security and stability as a collective responsibility, Rouhani said all countries in the region should join hands like members of a family and thwart the divisive plots hatched by enemies.
The visiting diplomat voiced Uzbekistan’s enthusiasm for the expansion of ties with Iran in all fields. Urging closer coordination between Tehran and Tashkent in issues relating to regional peace, Komilov said that the two Muslim nations can work in cooperation to combat extremism in the region.
Uzbekistan declared independence as a sovereign republic in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Iran and Uzbekistan launched formal diplomatic relations in May 1992.
Last month, in a meeting with his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the sidelines of the First OIC Summit on Science and Technology in Astana, Rouhani said Tehran sees no obstacle in the way to deepen bilateral relations with Uzbekistan.
He also pointed to the great capacities of the two countries, saying Iran welcomes the active presence of Uzbek investors and entrepreneurs in the Islamic Republic.