Tasnim � Iran�s vice president for economic affairs highlighted the flourishing trade interaction with Uzbekistan, stressing the need for plans to remove the obstacles to trade exchanges caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

In a videoconference with Uzbekistan�s Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade Umurzakov Sardor Uktamovich on Saturday, Mohammad Nahavandian said the relations between Tehran and Tashkent have been growing rapidly in various fields.

The trade exchanges between Iran and Uzbekistan rose by 40 percent in 2019, Nahavandian said, stressing that such progress would benefit the interests of the two nations and the region.

He further called for efforts to compensate for a decline in economic interaction after the outbreak of the coronavirus, saying the two nations can resort to various options to make up for the decrease.

The vice president also noted that Iranian experts are prepared to provide Uzbekistan with technical and engineering services.

For his part, the Uzbek minister described Iran as a major partner of his country, saying Tashkent has plans to strengthen ties with Tehran in the transportation industry.

The two sides agreed on the launch of talks about the extension of a preferential trade agreement, and decided to hold Iran-Uzbekistan Joint Commission in the second half of 2020 in Tehran.

In a telephone conversation in May, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev discussed ways to enhance the bilateral ties and cooperation amid the global fight against the COVID-19 crisis.

They also discussed the ways to boost the bilateral relations between Iran and Uzbekistan in various fields, including politics, economy, trade, transportation, and communications.