Rouhani and Nazarbayev sign 5 co-op documents

Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev, right, meets with President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Ruhani in Astana, Kazakhstan on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016. (Presidential Press Service via AP)

Iranian and Kazakh officials signed five memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on the sidelines of a meeting between the visiting Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana.

The signed documents include MOU for animal quarantine, a document for cooperation in the field of shipping in the Caspian Sea, a MoU on facilitating tourism, a cooperation document between the Central Bank of Iran and the National Bank of Kazakhstan for boosting mutual trade and a MoU on cooperation in the field of labour and social security.

Rouhani, who is on a tour to three regional countries, arrived in Kazakhstan on December 21.

According to Iranian Customs Administration, over the last fiscal year (ended March 20, 2016) the Islamic Republic imported goods worth at $87 million from Kazakhstan. Meanwhile Iran exported goods worth at $137 million to Kazakhstan.

The two sides are determined to increase their volume of trade turnover to $1 billion per year, Trend reports. (Vestnik Kavkaza)