Iran’s Ministry of Agriculture has set up an economic office to spearhead the coordination of the country’s economic activities with Kazakhstan, an official said.

As part of efforts to facilitate the implementation of the government’s plans aimed at boosting bilateral trade ties with Kazakhstan, the ministry has established “Kazakhstan’s Economic Desk”, Hooman Fathi, director-general of International Affairs at the Ministry of Agriculture said in a meeting in Tehran on Tuesday.

“Kazakhstan is among the region’s key players and the development of trade and economic ties with it is a top priority for the government,” he added.

The economic desk helps remove all obstacles to trade and travel between the two countries, Fathi said, noting that Tehran and Astana are working to boost their bilateral trade to $3 billion.  

Last year, Kazakh President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, visited Tehran at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raeisi.

Iran and Kazakhstan are both members of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). This provides a safe trading channel for the two countries, without worries over the impacts of US sanctions on Iran.