ASTANA (Interfax-Kazakhstan) – President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s forthcoming visit to Iran will give a significant impetus to the further development of cooperation between the two countries, Speaker of the Senate (the upper chamber of Kazakhstan’s parliament) Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev has said.

As the press office of the Senate reported on Monday Tokayev received Iran’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan Mojtaba Damirchilu in Astana.

The ambassador briefed Tokayev on preparations for the forthcoming official visit by Nazarbayev to Iran. The speaker of the Senate expressed his opinion that the visit by the Kazakh president would give a strong impetus to the development of cooperation between the two countries in various spheres, according to a statement issued by the press office.

Tokayev informed the Iranian ambassador of institutional reforms in Kazakhstan and preparations for the 5^th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions and emphasized that Kazakhstan attaches great importance to participation of Secretary General of the World Assembly of Islamic Schools of Thought Ayatollah Mohsen Araki in the event.

In April this year, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said at a briefing in Astana Kazakh president’s visit to Iran was expected. He expressed the hope that “this visit will contribute to deeper development of relations” between the two countries.

Iran imports grain, oil products and metals from Kazakhstan. Iran is a partner in joint oil and gas projects including construction of a pipeline connecting Kazakhstan to the Persian Gulf via Turkmenistan and Iran which will give Astana access to the Asian markets. Kazakhstan has special interests in Iranian investments in mechanical engineering, infrastructure, transport and telecommunications.