Zarif on Tour of Caucasus, Central Asia

Leading a politico-economic delegation, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif set off on a tour of Turkmenistan, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan on Sunday to strengthen bilateral trade ties.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said in a Saturday talk that the visits are aimed at attending ceremonies to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Iran and the three countries after their independence and expanding ties with the Central Asian and Caucasian countries, IRNA reported.

"More than 20 businesspersons and representatives of commercial firms from public and private sectors are accompanying the foreign minister during the trip," Qasemi said.

The pursuit of international diplomacy and improvement of Islamic Republic's political and economic relations with other countries were placed high on the agenda concurrent with Iran's nuclear talks with world powers, which was finalized in July 2015 in the shape of a deal named the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which imposed interim curbs on Tehran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.  

One of the major achievements of President Hassan Rouhani's government over the past few years has been Iran's efforts to engage in better relations with other states, which gathered pace after last year's implementation of the historic nuclear accord.

Numerous trips by high-ranking delegations, especially Rouhani's visits to France and Italy, have brought about considerable gains, including the signing of deals for the purchase of Airbus and Boeing airplanes for the first time after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

In line with the same policy, Zarif and his delegation are scheduled to hold political and economic meetings with senior officials of the three hosting countries, and attend joint meetings with their economic counterparts.

The trip comes a few months after President Rouhani visited Caucasian and Central Asian countries, including Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, with the same goal of boosting regional interactions.  Qasemi noted that friendly ties, mutual understanding and extensive cooperation between Iran and the three countries are in line with the goal of promoting peace, stability and security in the region.