Iran’s Roads and Urban Development Minister Farzaneh Sadegh has emphasized the need to expand railway and road cooperation with Uzbekistan during a meeting with her Uzbek counterpart, Ilkhom Makhkamov.

The two ministers met on Wednesday in Tashkent and discussed ways to expand bilateral transport and transit ties.

There is “extensive potential for cooperation between the two countries, while their political, economic, transport and transit relations reflect strategic importance,” Sadegh said.

Referring to her previous talks with Makhkamov on the sidelines of the 14th meeting of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) transport ministers in Astana, Kazakhstan, she called for the agreements reached to be “put into practice.”

Sadegh described cooperation in road, air and rail transport as progressing well and proposed a trilateral railway meeting involving Iran, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

The proposed meeting will improve coordination and accelerate the development of rail links among the three countries, the Iranian minister noted.

“Iran’s northern and southern ports offer a valuable opportunity to expand regional trade and connectivity, given the two countries’ considerable logistics and transit potential,” she added.

Sadegh also announced that the port of Chabahar will soon be connected to Iran’s national railway network, a development she said will increase transit capacity.

Iran seeks faster conclusion of PTA talks with Uzbekistan

Iran says a preferential trade deal with Uzbekistan could lead to significant growth in bilateral trade.

The connection will also expand logistics cooperation and facilitate regional countries’ access to open waters, according to the Iranian minister.

She further called for the two countries “to use their complementary capacities to strengthen their positions in regional transport and transit networks through corridor development and multilateral cooperation.”

Makhkamov, meanwhile, emphasized the importance of expanding transport ties with Iran and declared Uzbekistan’s readiness to broaden bilateral engagement and implement joint programs.

He also called for continued consultations, follow-up on existing agreements and the creation of conditions for further expanding cooperation in road and railway transport.