Iran-Turkey coop. helps regional peace: Iran official

An Iranian official has called for constant cooperation between Iran and Turkey as a key to maintaining regional stability and preventing terrorism.

“Constant consultation between the political and parliamentary officials of Iran and Turkey helps maintain regional peace and stability and prevents the spread of the activities of extremist and terrorist groups in the region,” said head of Iran-Turkey parliamentary friendship group Moayyed Hosseini Sadr at a Friday meeting with the Turkish Ambassador to Tehran Umit Yardim.

Hosseini Sadr referred to the cultural commonalities and mutual interests of Iran and Turkey as fertile ground for the enhancement of bilateral relations in all arenas.

The Turkish ambassador, for his part, called for constant consultations between the two countries’ lawmakers and politicians in an attempt to utilize the ample potentials for the enhancement of ties.

He also underlined the importance of adopting rational positions with regard to regional and international issues as an approach that is in the interest of all regional countries, particularly Iran and Turkey.

Turkey and Iran seek to increase their trade volume to USD 35 billion by 2015.

The value of trade between Iran and Turkey in the first half of 2014 stood at USD 6.5 billion, according to data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute.

Iran and Turkey are currently at odds over the Syrian crisis.

While Turkey and some regional states, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, lend support to the armed militants fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, Iran insists that the Syrian crisis must be settled through diplomatic and democratic channels.