Iran, Kazakhstan agree to establish joint shipping line to boost trade

 Iran and Kazakhstan signed an agreement to establish a joint shipping company, a senior official of Iran's leading cargo carrier was quoted as saying by Press TV on Tuesday.

Mohammad Saeedi, head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), said the shipping line would boost bilateral trade through Iran's northern port of Bandar Anzali and Kazakh port of Aktau, both on the Caspian Sea.

The two nations also decided to increase their volume of rail transport through a railroad that links Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.

On Monday, Iran and Kazakhstan signed 11 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in a bid to boost cooperation in diverse areas.

The documents were signed by the two countries' senior officials in a ceremony that was attended by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his visiting Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Based on the agreements, Tehran and Astana will join hands in a variety of fields, ranging from technologies, road and rail transport, commerce and environmental protection to prisoner exchanges, the report said.

Heading a high-ranking economic and political delegation, Nazarbayev arrived in the Iranian capital Tehran on Monday for a two-day official visit to discuss bilateral ties as well as international issues with Iran.