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Mottaki: US should urgently release Iranian diplomats

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Nov 13, IRNA
Iran-Kazakhstan-Mottaki
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Tuesday that the US should urgently release Iranian diplomats kidnapped in Erbil of Iraq.

Mottaki made the remarks at a joint press conference with Kazakh Minister of Transport and Communications Serik Akhmetov in Tehran on Tuesday.

Release of the kidnapped diplomats by US troops has nothing to do with their recent request for starting next round of talks with Iran on Iraq security, Mottaki said.

Resumption of talks between Iran and the US was raised during talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki last week in Baghdad, he said.

The Iraqi officials conveyed the US request to Tehran but the issue should be officially conveyed to Iran through legal channel which is Swiss embassy, Mottaki said.

On existing relations between Iran and Russia, he said "We assess our Russian friends through their commitment to carry out their pledges."

Iran-Russia ties are now witnessing an upward trend in various fields, Mottaki underlined.

On expansion of economic cooperation between Iran and Kazakhstan, Mottaki expressed the hope that the volume of trade exchange between the two countries would hit dlrs 10 billion per year.

The 9th session of Iran-Kazakhstan Joint Economic Cooperation Commission kicked off in Tehran on Tuesday.

Mottaki and Akhmetov reviewed expansion of economic
cooperation between the two countries.

Since privatization of Iranian companies are on the agenda of the Iranian government, it has provided a suitable opportunity for Kazakh businessmen and companies to broaden their scope of activities in Iran, Mottaki said.

Prospects of mutual cooperation between the two countries are very promising, Mottaki underlined.

Since Foreign Ministry is responsible for holding Iran-Kazakhstan joint economic commission meetings this indicates that Iran is determined to broaden all-out ties with Kazakhstan, he said.

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