President Nazarbayev meets his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani

President Nazarbayev’s Astana-based Akorda Residence hosted talks with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, Tengrinews.kz reports.
Head of Iran expressed his gratitude for the warm reception and reiterated his country’s intention to build up its relations with Kazakhstan.

“The visit of a high-ranking delegation coupled with reps of the private sector testifies to the serious willingness of Iran to expand its ties with Kazakhstan in a range of realms”, Mr. Hassan Rouhani said.

Nursultan Nazarbayev, in his turn, emphasized that finding solutions to issues related to the Iranian nuclear program would have a positive impact on further expansion of the bilateral ties between the nations.

“Kazakhstan views Iran as a major foreign partner and a peaceful neighbor on the shores of the Caspian Sea. We are confident you will find a solution to the issue of the nuclear program (…) A successful solution will have a positive impact on Iran’s economy development and its bilateral relations with Kazakhstan”, President Nazarbayev said.

He noted that recently the bilateral trade turnover had been decreased, although the current year’s indicator was more gratifying.
According to him, the sides broached a wide range of issues, including those related to Oil and Gas industry, agriculture, infrastructure projects. Respective tasks will be set for the intergovernmental committee to accomplish.

President Nazarbayev expressed hope that the visit of the Iranian leader and the forthcoming business forum would enable to bring the bilateral cooperation to a higher level.

It is the first visit of the Iran’ new president to Kazakhstan. Hassan Rouhani is expected to deliver a lecture at the Astana-based Nazarbayev University and attend a joint business forum.