MNA – Iran and Uzbekistan have drawn up a roadmap for industrial, technical, engineering and tourism cooperation, according to deputy minister of industry Mojtaba Khosrotaj.







The roadmap has been submitted to Uzbekistan government and will be put atop the two countries' agenda after Uzbekistan has finished reviewing it, the president of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPO) added.

Speaking in a ceremony held on the occasion of National Independence Day of Uzbekistan, Khosrotaj expounded on the salient achievements of economic cooperation between Iran and Uzbekistan and said, “the enforcement of provisions stipulated in the Preferential Trade agreement (PTA) between Iran and Uzbekistan can pave the ways for further development of bilateral ties between the two sides.”

He maintained that trade and business cooperation between the two countries within the framework of a joint commission meeting has expanded from a merely business activity to a scientific, engineering, energy and technological cooperation.

“Today, Iranian companies are cooperating with Uzbek companies either independently or within the framework of joint venture (JV) contract," he added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Khosrotaj pointed to the main topic of this joint cooperation in the fields of medicines, medical equipment, construction materials, chemical and petrochemical products, automotive, agriculture and food, adding that “with the coordination made in this regard, one of the largest ceramics and tile production companies will be put into operation in Uzbekistan in the near future.”

He further put the trade volume between Iran and Uzbekistan in recent years at $200-$300 million, adding that the two countries are predicted to would witness a boost in trade and business cooperation once the PTA is enforced.