BISHKEK (TCA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said Iran is ready to help Kyrgyzstan with the construction of hydropower plants in the Central Asian country, Iran’s PressTV news agency reports.
“Iran is ready to construct small and big hydropower plants in Kyrgyzstan,” Zarif said at a joint press conference with his Kyrgyz counterpart Erlan Abdyldaev in Bishkek on April 19.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has a great deal of experience in the construction of dams and plants, and can provide valuable assistance to the Bishkek government in this regard,” he added.
The top Iranian diplomat expressed Tehran’s readiness to boost relations with Bishkek in all sectors and said Iran saw no limit to the expansion of ties with Kyrgyzstan.
He also said Iran could cooperate with Kyrgyzstan in the pharmaceutical sector and expressed Tehran’s willingness to transfer technology to Kyrgyz manufactures.
The volume of trade between Iran and Kyrgyzstan stood at more than $14 million last year, an increase compared with 2015.
The Iranian foreign minister also said Iran’s Mahan Air and Kyrgyzstan’s Air Manas airlines were holding negotiations to launch direct flights between the two countries.
Zarif said that during their talks in Bishkek, the Iranian and Kyrgyz sides agreed to hold constant consultations on regional problems, including terrorism, extremism and drug smuggling, and to boost economic ties in all sectors.
For his part, the Kyrgyz foreign minister said that his country was keen to expand ties with Iran in the banking, mining, light industry and power plant construction sectors.
