Iranian and Kazakh presidents have signed agreements to cooperate in different spheres including transportation, commerce, industry, and trade.
The agreements were signed by President Hassan Rouhani and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana on Tuesday.
Rouhani commented on the two countries’ capacities to promote mutual cooperation, saying that the visit could be a good starting point for the development of all-out relations between Tehran and Astana.
The Iranian president is on a 5-day tour of Central Asia that takes him to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, where he will attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization -- a political, economic and military organization which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and Mongolia are observer states of the organization.
---------Push for Enhanced Ties
At a joint press conference with the Kazakh president on the same day, Rouhani said Iran is seeking to significantly boost its relations with Kazakhstan in political, economic, and cultural spheres.
He said the visit by a high-level Iranian delegation to Kazakhstan indicates Tehran's determination to expand ties with the Central Asian country.
On his meeting with his Kazakh counterpart, Rouhani said they discussed a range of economic, cultural, and scientific issues.
Major problems facing the region were also discussed and it was agreed that bilateral discussions would be held to explore ways of dealing with the issues and establishing sustainable stability in the region, he said.
In addition, he said Iran regards Kazakhstan as its "close friend".
Nazarbayev, for his part, said the Iranian delegation's visit will positively affect bilateral relations.
He also said he had exchanged views with Rouhani on the crises in Iraq and Syria and the Palestinian issue.
Commenting on nuclear talks between Iran and the major powers, the Kazakh president said he is optimistic about the outcome of the negotiations and expressed hope that the sanctions on Iran would be lifted in the near future.
