President Raisi welcomes his Kazakh counterpart at Sadabad Palace

Tehran, IRNA – The official welcoming ceremony of Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has been held at Sadabad Palace in Tehran, where the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi received his Kazakh counterpart. The official welcoming ceremony was held in the presence of the two presidents when the national anthems of both countries were chanted. Almost concurrent with President Tokayev’s trip to Iran, the first Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Turkey rail transit train arrived at Tehran Railway Station. The Kazakh president, heading a high-ranking delegation, visits Iran at the official invitation from his Iranian counterpart following his presence at the 25th St Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is the second president of Kazakhstan after 30 years of the presidency of Nursultan Nazarbayev. The Iranian president and his Kazakh counterpart held talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, last year. The two presidents agreed upon the expansion of bilateral coordination and collaboration in different fields, including the railroad. Therefore, the first Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Turkey rail transit train arrived at Tehran Railway Station on Saturday. The train carries 24 wagons, transporting 48 containers carrying sulfur to Turkey and then Europe. On May 22, 2022, Iran’s First Vice-President Mohammad Mokhber and Kazakhstan Deputy Prime Minister Bakhyt Sultanov met and called for strengthening bilateral relations between Tehran and Nur-Sultan. Sultanov said Kazakhstan would offer a 72-hour visa-free stay for Iranian businesses as the first step to paving the way for bilateral trade extension between the two countries. He also expressed hope that Iran and Kazakhstan can set up a permanent chamber of commerce to boost bilateral trade. The Kazakh official emphasized that his country supports Iran’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish