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Iran, Turkey call for boost of all-out ties

29 March 2012 20:50 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Iran and Turkey have called for enhancement of ties in diverse areas, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

In a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Tehran on Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahamdinejad said that Iran and Turkey should broaden their relations in political, economic and cultural fields, as well as increase the volume of their trade transactions, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"Iran and Turkey should try to expand bilateral and regional relations, as well as increase the volume of their trade transactions more than before by making use of existing potential and capacities," Ahamdinejad was quoted as saying.

"Further expansion of political, economic and cultural ties will be in the interest of advancement, welfare and security of both nations," said Ahmadinejad.

The Iranian and Turkish officials should work together to remove the present obstacles through bilateral cooperation and exchange of views, as well as increasing the volume of their trade transactions, particularly in the field of energy and crude oil.

For his part, Erdogan called for further expansion of the bilateral cooperation between Iran and Turkey in different political, economic, commercial and energy areas, said IRNA.

On Wednesday, Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi expressed Tehran’s readiness to bolster all-out ties with Turkey, saying the Islamic republic sets no boundaries for enhancing its bilateral and international cooperation with Ankara, the local satellite Press TV reported on Thursday.

"Turkey has a special position among the Iranian nation and officials. This issue necessitates boosting relations between the two countries," said Rahimi in a meeting with Erdogan in Tehran on Wednesday.

Rahimi called on Iranian and Turkish officials to make joint efforts to achieve objectives set by both sides to expand trade exchanges to the target level of 30 billion U.S. dollars.

Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Rahimi said Iran welcomed Turkey’s offer to host a fresh round of talks between Tehran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (G5+1).

He added that according to Islamic principles, as clarified by Leader of the Islamic republic Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Iran has no plans or use for non-peaceful objectives of the nuclear technology.

Erdogan, for his part, called for the expansion of mutual and international ties with Iran in all fields, according to Press TV.

Also, Iran’s Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said Wednesday that the Islamic republic and Turkey have the potentials to resolve " many complex problems" in the region by maintaining close bilateral ties, Press TV reported on Thursday.

"Great potential and capabilities of the two countries should be utilized towards an all-out expansion of relations. (Iran and Turkey) must set the ground for promoting economic and trade ties, " said Larijani in a meeting with Erdogan.

Larijani said that parliamentary cooperation between Tehran and Ankara would play a key role in the expansion of mutual relations, expressing Iranian Majlis’ (parliament) support for further boost of cordial ties with Turkey in all fields.

Larijani emphasized that existing differences between Iran and Turkey regarding Ankara’s hosting of a NATO radar system would eventually be resolved through close consultations, according to Press TV.

Iran has expressed disappointment over Turkey’s hosting of a NATO radar shield on its soil. Ankara has given verbal assurances to Tehran that the system does not pose a threat to the Islamic republic.

The Iranian speaker further stressed the importance of strengthening resistance against the Israeli regime.

Erdogan, for his part, assessed as "constructive and useful" his talks with senior Iranian officials and expressed his country’ s readiness to improve ties with Iran in all fields, particularly in economic and trade sectors, said the report.

He added that no one should be allowed to harm the friendly ties between Iran and Turkey.

Heading a high-ranking delegation, Turkish prime minister arrived in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Wednesday after he participated in Seoul Nuclear Security Summit.

During his two-day visit, Erdogan was scheduled to hold talks with Iranian officials on bilateral ties, recent developments in the Middle East and Iran’s controversial nuclear program, but no report was released about both sides’ talks on Iran’s nuclear issue.

On Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said that the annual trade value between Iran and Turkey stands currently at 16 billion U.S. dollars, "but, due to the potentials and capacity on both sides to upgrade the ties, the figure can reach 30 billion dollars in the next years" according to IRNA.

Turkey has remained one of the major trade partners of Iran in the past decades and has been one of the main energy importers from the Islamic republic despite U.S. pressures on its allies to reduce oil transaction with the country.

In the past years, amid the Israeli threats to launch military attack on Iran’s nuclear establishments, the Turkish officials have reiterated their resolution to settle Iran’s nuclear disputes through dialogue and have played an active role in this regard.

However, Iran’s failure to give in to the Western pressures to halt its nuclear enrichment program has created an impasse in the international efforts which are aimed at resolving Iran’s nuclear issue peacefully.