On October 15, 2025, as part of the second Astana Think Tank Forum, a meeting was held between the leadership of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS) under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and a delegation from the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iranian delegation included the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, the President of the Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) under the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saeed Khatibzadeh, and the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Kazakhstan, Ali Akbar Joukar.
Welcoming the Iranian colleagues, Director of KazISS under the President of Kazakhstan Zhandos Shaimardanov emphasized Iran’s commitment to developing a strategic dialogue with Kazakhstan.
“Iran is one of our country’s key partners in the Middle East and the Caspian region. The two countries are bound by deep historical, cultural, and economic ties that date back to the era of the Great Silk Road. It is particularly important to highlight the Free Trade Agreement between the EAEU and Iran, which entered into force in May 2025 and opens up new opportunities for trade and economic cooperation,” noted Shaimardanov.
During the talks, the parties emphasized that Kazakhstan and Iran actively cooperate within multilateral frameworks such as the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), and the “Caspian Five.”
The participants discussed the potential for strengthening transport, logistics, and trade connectivity between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf within the framework of the International North–South Transport Corridor project, as well as the prospects for increasing trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Iran.
At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides agreed that the partnership between Kazakhstan and Iran serves as an example of constructive regional cooperation.
