Tehran: Iran and Uzbekistan signed on Sunday four documents on expanding bilateral cooperation, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.

The documents were signed during a meeting between the two countries' delegations that took place in Tehran, comprising their high-ranking officials, including Iran's First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref and visiting Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, IRNA reported.

The four documents are an intergovernmental protocol on the implementation of a preferential trade agreement, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on plant quarantine and protection, another MoU on halal standardization, and an intergovernmental roadmap for bilateral cooperation during the year of 2025-2027, IRNA reported.

Aref said during the meeting that Iran is determined to improve ties with Uzbekistan in all areas, regarding the two countries' "numerous cultural and historical commonalities as valuable assets" to promote bilateral ties in economy, energy, tourism, culture, science and trade, and between their private sectors, IRNA reported.

For his part, Aripov said Iran is Uzbekistan's "close friend and reliable partner" in the region, noting that bilateral trade reached 500 million U.S. dollars in 2024, according to IRNA.

The expansion of cooperation between the two countries should be future-oriented and based on a long-term planning, he added.

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