Iran’s Commerce Minister Masoud Mir-Kazemi, who headed Iran’s delegation, said, "Considering historical, cultural and religious commonalities we ask for expansion of ties in all fields with our brotherly country Uzbekistan."

Existing potentials in different fields of oil and gas industry, agriculture, mine, petrochemicals and other industrial sectors can promote commercial and economic cooperation between Iran and Uzbekistan, Mir-Kazemi added.

He continued, "We are both trying to increase commercial exchange level to one billion dollars, annually."
 
Nasiruddin Najimev, deputy minister of foreign economic and commercial relations, said " According to the existing statistics, commercial exchange level has increased five fold from year 2000 to 2007, IRNA reported.

Commercial exchange between the two countries reached to 385 million dollars in the first six months of the year 2008, while it was 565 million dollars for the whole last year.

He continued, "Currently some 117 Iranian investing companies are active in Uzbekistan."

The two sides are to consider and discuss the latest situation of bilateral cooperation in the fields of transportation, commerce, banking, energy, tourism and standard and ways to promote and develop them.

It was said that documents on expansion of economic and commercial cooperation are to be signed at the end of the meeting.