Exchange of Parliamentary Experience Helpful to Developing Tehran-Tashkent Ties

Sharing of experiences between Iranian and Uzbek parliaments would be a positive and effective step toward developing the two countries’ bilateral ties, the Iranian president said. 
He made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Speaker of Uzbekistan’s Legislative Chamber Nurdinjon Ismoilov on Saturday, President.ir reported. 
The Uzbek top legislator also stressed the need for the two countries’ parliaments to play a role in boosting cooperation between their governments. 
“I assure you that Uzbekistan’s parliament will use all in its capacity to help the implementation of bilateral agreements,” he said. 
Raisi pointed to 18 memorandums of understanding between Tehran and Tashkent, saying their speedy implementation would help upgrade the level of ties. 
Civilizational and cultural shared features between Iran and Uzbekistan also provide suitable grounds for the expansion of trade and economic relations, according to the president. 
“Although the growth in Iran-Uzbekistan political and economic ties over the past year has transformed the situation from the past, the existing capacities still require additional efforts to upgrade mutual relations in these sectors,” he said. 
Ismoilov praised the Raisi administration’s foreign policy approach of giving priority to neighboring states, saying the same principled policy has been prioritized during the process of reforming the Constitution in Uzbekistan as well. 

Top Priority

The Uzbek parliament speaker had earlier met his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, where they discussed the prospects of bilateral ties between the two countries. 
He said at a joint press conference that the parliaments of Iran and Uzbekistan need to boost their cooperation in line with their government’s emphasis on the expansion of bilateral relations. 
“Development of ties between the two countries requires consolidation of its legal foundations, and the role of parliaments is important in this regard,” he was quoted as saying by ICANA. 
Highlighting the increase in parliamentary relations in the recent year, he said his trip was the follow-up of earlier meetings with the Iranian Majlis speaker and his delegation in Tashkent. 
“Parliamentary friendship groups are also in closer contact now,” he said. 
The increase in mutual ties in recent years is an indication of the will of Iranian and Uzbek presidents, he added. 
Ismoilov also said the Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev is due to travel to Tehran in the near future, hoping the meetings would result in agreements for the development of economic ties. 
Raisi had earlier held talks with his Uzbek counterpart during his trip to the city of Samarkand to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit last September. 
At the end of the high-profile meeting, ministers and senior officials from the two countries signed 18 documents and memorandums of understanding on cooperation in various fields.
The Uzbek official said the two countries have great capacities for upgrading relations, but a top priority is the development of economic ties, especially transportation. 
Qalibaf underlined Raisi administration’s special attention for neighboring and Muslim countries, saying that Central Asia is a key area for engagement along this line. 
“The two countries have a great potential for cooperation, especially in the economic, cultural and tourism sectors, as well as transit and transportation in the north-south and east-west corridors,” he said. 
He added that closer relations with Uzbekistan in these sectors could help raise the level of mutual trade. 
Qalibaf said during his meeting with Ismoilov, they agreed to facilitate the parliamentary approval of agreements between their governments and support each other’s stances in international assemblies. 
He hoped that such meetings could lead to better economic, political and cultural exchanges across the whole region. 
The Uzbek parliament speaker later pointed to Tehran and Tashkent’s shared foreign policy issues, including the situation in Afghanistan which is a source of security concern for both states. 
“Uzbekistan and Iran intend to do all in their power to establish peace, stability and security in Afghanistan, which would result in security in the broader region,” he said. 
Qalibaf also underlined the two countries’ role in the security of the region, stressing the need for cooperation among Afghanistan’s neighboring countries to help it overcome its difficulties. 
“All of the neighboring states believe that all groups and ethnicities must participate in Afghanistan’s national government so that security and development could be realized in this country,” he said.