TEHRAN, Oct. 23 (MNA) – Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian and his Dutch counterpart Melanie Schultz van Haegen, Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Sunday, aiming to boost cooperation in solar energy as well as water resources management.

Pointing to various ways of cooperation between Iran and the Netherlands, Chitchian said the atmosphere for further cooperation provided by JCPOA and the meeting between the foreign minsiters of the two countries could help restore ties between Iran and the Netherlands.

Environmental issues, water management and energy in industrial and agricultural fields can be an important incentive to improve relations between the two countries, he noted.

"Both countries have held numerous talks aimed at boosting mutual ties and cooperation in different areas and in this regard, Iran-Netherlands Trade and Culture Center was officially inaugurated in Hague recently."

Chitchian underlined that the Netherlands possesses high-tech machines dealing with water as it is a country with many water resources.

Banking cooperation between the two countries is of great importance and with removal of the existing obstacles, good cooperation will ultimately lead to the intensification of economic relations between the two countries, Chitchian noted.

Melanie Schultz van Haegen, for her part, reiterated that the signing of the memorandum of understanding would strengthen cooperation between Iran and the Netherlands in the areas of water technology.

"Netherlands can hold good cooperation with Iran in the field of desalination and the use of wastewater in agriculture," she added.

She also referred to the issues including river, flood and water shortages management, knowledge-based cooperation and training managers in Dutch scientific and educational institutions as incentives to provide the grounds for enhanced cooperation between the two countries.

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