Kazakhstan, Iran discuss multilateral cooperation, regional issues
Kazakh Ambassador to Iran, Ontalap Onalbayev, held talks on Tuesday with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi in Tehran, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing the Kazakh MFA press service.
During the meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the parties discussed current issues of Kazakh-Iranian cooperation in multilateral formats, including cooperation within the United Nations and other international organizations.
Special attention was paid to the initiative of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to establish a specialized international organization on water issues within the UN system. The Kazakh side emphasized that water-related challenges today are directly linked not only to environmental issues, but also to sustainable development, food and energy security, climate resilience and social stability.
It was noted that, despite the significant efforts of the international community, the global water agenda continues to face institutional fragmentation, while the gap between political commitments and their practical implementation persists. In this regard, special attention was drawn to the fact that Kazakhstan’s initiative is aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of international cooperation, strengthening coordination within the UN system, mobilizing financing, facilitating the exchange of data and expertise, and promoting practical projects in the field of sustainable water resources management.
The parties exchanged views on the further development of this initiative, taking into account Iran’s experience in water resources, legal affairs and multilateral diplomacy.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran for Legal and International Affairs noted that water diplomacy is one of the relevant areas for Iran and said that a Water Diplomacy Committee had recently been established at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this regard.
Gharibabadi commended the level of bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Iran and Kazakhstan, as well as the close partnership between the two sides on matters of mutual support. He noted that Iran had previously supported many innovative international initiatives put forward by Astana and expressed confidence that this cooperation would continue to strengthen.
The Iranian diplomat expressed interest in continuing constructive dialogue with Kazakhstan on current issues of multilateral cooperation and in strengthening interaction between the two countries on international platforms.
As previously reported, Kazakhstan's agricultural exports to Iran surged 97% in 2025.