Iran and Kyrgyzstan must move beyond general goodwill and build a targeted trade relationship, the head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization said Sunday.
Mohammad Ali Dehghan Dehnavi, meeting Iran’s ambassador-designate to Kyrgyzstan Zahra Saei, said Kyrgyzstan is small but offers real potential. The message was less about geography than preparation: a small market on a development path should not be ignored. He pointed to infrastructure, technical and engineering services, agriculture, and refinery modernization as promising sectors. The main obstacle, he said, is mutual ignorance: traders and companies on both sides know too little about each other’s export strengths.
To fix that, Dehghan Dehnavi called for direct business-to-business contacts, exhibitions, and reciprocal trade delegations. Iran Expo, he said, could introduce Iranian capabilities to Kyrgyz firms and bring Kyrgyz buyers into contact with Iranian exporters. Such exchanges, he argued, are practical tools, not diplomatic gestures.
He also highlighted the Free Trade Agreement between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union. Tariff cuts and eliminations create opportunities, but businesses need to be told exactly what advantages are available. Regional events linked to Eurasia and Shanghai, hosted in Kyrgyzstan, could serve as platforms for delegations and cooperation.
Ambassador Saei stressed that Iran’s provincial export capacities must be matched to Kyrgyz market demand. She said Iran should identify goods Kyrgyzstan needs and, in return, pinpoint Iranian import needs so trade can flow both ways. She also urged use of the Iranian community in Kyrgyzstan and closer cooperation in agriculture.
Both sides agreed to strengthen coordination between the TPO and Iran’s embassy in Bishkek. The goal: turn identified opportunities into actual trade, with better information, more direct contacts, and stronger institutional follow-up. Officials said follow-up will focus on concrete sectors, company matchmaking, and removing information gaps that have long slowed bilateral business. Both sides will continue talks.
