Iran, Georgia sign MoUs to bolster cooperation in different sectors

EghtesadOnline: Iran and Georgia have signed several agreements to further expand cooperation in different fields during a visit by Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili to Tehran.

News ID: ۷۴۱۰۹۹

22 April 2017

Kvirikashvili and Iranian Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri oversaw the signing of the memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on sports and agriculture as well as communications and information technology in the Iranian capital on Saturday.

Additionally, Masoumeh Ebtekar, head of Iran’s Department of the Environment, and her Georgian counterpart put their signatures on a joint statement by the organizations under their watch, PressTV reported.

Two other MoUs were also inked between the two countries’ private sectors on setting up a refinery complex and a factory meant to produce ceramic and tiles in Georgia.

In a press conference with the Georgian prime minister, the Iranian vice president said the two nations have a wide range of commonalities and enjoy a common stance on many regional and international issues.

“There is fertile ground for boosting economic, political and cultural cooperation between the two countries,” Jahangiri said.

He further underlined the importance of a multi-national transit project, called the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which connects the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea.

The official also expressed hope that active banking ties between the two countries will work to facilitate bilateral trade.

“The government and high-ranking officials of the two countries have a political will to develop relations in all dimensions without any restrictions,” he added.

Kvirikashvili, for his part, said that his visit to Tehran, which follows Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s trip to Tbilisi, shows a mutual resolve to bolster Iran-Georgia ties.

Zarif traveled to Georgia last week on the second leg of his Central Asia and Caucasus tour.

During his stay in Tbilisi, the top Iranian diplomat held separate meetings with his Georgian counterpart, Mikheil Janelidze, Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze.

Zarif said during his meetings, he had explored different fields of cooperation, including transit, industry, education and the INSTC.