Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash met with Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Transport and Communications, during the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held in Bishkek.

Above all, the two sides negotiated on launching a railway corridor from Kyrgyzstan to Iran through Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. 

Emphasizing the importance of the SCO agenda for active cooperation in constructing new railways connecting the SCO member states, and developing multimodal transportation and modern logistics centers, Bazrpash said, “development of railway networks along the North-South and East-West International Corridors is one of the important ways to increase economic transactions between the SCO member countries, and to this end, Iran has unique geographical advantages and transit opportunities that can be used for this initiative”. 

Moreover, in the meeting, the two sides called for completing transit routes, facilitation of regulations, and development of logistic support activities between the SCO members.

According to Bazrpash, “For promoting economic transactions between the member countries, we need to complete the transit routes between the member countries, facilitate regulations and create a platform for the establishment of green customs, and therefore, reduce customs and transit tariffs”.

Transport ministers of Iran and Kyrgyzstan also negotiated over the establishment of logistics centers in both countries and increasing the number of flights.  

Iran’s Minister of Roads and Urban Development and the country’s Minister of Petroleum Javad Owji accompanied the first Vice President Mohammad Mokhber during his visit to Kyrgyzstan to attend the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek on October 26. 

Last year, in October 2022, Iran hosted a multilateral transit summit in the region during which the transport ministers of six regional countries including Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan met in Tehran to confer on ways to promote transit cooperation.

DAY