DUSHANBE, October 19, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- On Wednesday October 19, Chairman of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) Shukurjon Zuhurov met here with Tabriz Mayor Alireza Navin on the sidelines of ongoing days of Culture of Tabriz in Tajikistan.

Muhammadato Sultonov, a spokesman for the Majlisi Namoyandagon, says that in the course of the talks, Tajik parliament speaker noted that relations between the regions of the two countries could promote further expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Iran.

“Cultural figures and literary men of both countries may continue traditions of the common cultural environment that have united the peoples of Tajikistan and Iran for millenniums,” Zuhurov said.

Tabriz Mayor Alireza Navin, for his part, noted that he would do all in his power to promote cooperation between the business communities of Tabriz and Tajik entrepreneurs.

Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province.  The estimated population of the city is around 1,400,000 based on results of the Iranian census bureau. Tabriz is the fourth most populous city in Iran after Tehran, Mashhad, and Esfahan, and is also a major Iranian heavy industrial and manufacturing center.  Some of these industries include automobile, machine tools, oil and petrochemical and cement production