TEHTAN: The Iran-Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan railway could triple annual trade between Iran and Kazakhstan to $3 billion.Kazakhstan Ambassador to Tehran Baghdad Amiriyev said the railway is projected to be inaugurated by Dec.6.
In 2007, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan signed an agreement to construct the North-South Transnational Corridor.
The route will link Uzen in Kazakhstan with Gyzylgaya-Bereket-Etrek in Turkmenistan and end at Gorgan in the Iranian province of Golestan. Then it will be connected to Iran’s national rail network, making its way to the Persian Gulf ports.
Kazakhstan was the 18th biggest importer of Iranian non-oil goods in the previous Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, 2014, according to the Iran Customs Administration.
Iran exported $209.6 million of non-oil goods to Kazakhstan and imported $83.8 million of non-oil goods from the country.
Amiriyev said on Nov. 13 that Tehran and Astana have great potentials to boost their agricultural trades.
“But the businesspersons of the two countries do not know the other side’s market very well,” he said, Iran’s IRNA News Agency reported.
“If the two sides understand the potentials of the other side, the bilateral trade would boost significantly,” he said.
“Iran can export citrus, kiwi, chicken, dairy products, flowers and plants to Kazakhstan,” the official noted.
Amiriyev went on to note that Astana can also export wheat and livestock to Tehran.
“Tourism can also help the two countries boost their bilateral ties,” he said.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said at a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani in Astana Sept. 9 that a Kazakh-Iranian trading house is planned to be opened in Kazakhstan.
