Mohammad Reza Aref, the First Vice President of Iran, announced during his recent meeting with Emomali Rahmon, the President of Tajikistan, that the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries has increased by 50%. This significant growth has occurred despite Iran facing multiple challenges, including an imposed war.
Cultural and Historical Links
During this meeting, Aref emphasized the importance of leveraging the historical, cultural, and linguistic commonalities between the two countries and introduced the establishment of a high-level joint committee for the Persian language, literature, and culture as a way to preserve their shared heritage. He also spoke about the necessity of creating a union of Persian-speaking countries and centers for celebrating Nowruz.
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Aref stated: "Despite all obstacles, including the imposed war against Iran, we have witnessed a 50% increase in the volume of bilateral trade compared to the same period last year." He added that this growth indicates the high potential for cooperation between Iran and Tajikistan.
Economic and Energy Cooperation
The First Vice President of Iran also referred to the economic cooperation between the two countries and announced that Iran is ready to collaborate in the fields of oil and gas, petrochemical industries, and the export of oil products to Tajikistan. Aref assessed Rahmon's proposed plan for creating the South Pars-Afghanistan-Tajikistan energy corridor as positive and constructive.
He added: "Iran is interested in expanding trilateral cooperation with Tajikistan and Afghanistan, and there are suitable capacities for developing this cooperation." Aref also emphasized the necessity of connecting Tajikistan to the open waters of the Persian Gulf, stating that this could help the economic development of both countries.
At the end of this meeting, Aref stressed the importance of utilizing the capacities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to link regional security and stability with economic development and increased connectivity among member countries. He said: "Iran and Tajikistan can have closer cooperation in the fields of trade, transit, energy, and border security within the framework of this organization."
Furthermore, the necessity for greater coordination between the two countries in facing common regional and international issues was also emphasized. Aref and Rahmon highlighted the importance of expanding scientific, technological, cultural, and tourism cooperation, as well as utilizing scientific and technological capacities for the development of bilateral relations.
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