Turkmenistan, Iran mull joint projects
By Trend
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has held talks
with Turkmen Deputy Foreign Minister Vepa Hajiyev in Tehran, Trend
reports referring to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
During the Sunday meeting, Zarif said Tehran attaches great
importance to its ties with Ashgabat, and considers Turkmenistan
one of the closest countries to Iran.
“We always seek enhanced relations and cooperation with
Turkmenistan in various fields, and hope that we would be able to
tap into all the capacities available for promotion of friendship
and brotherhood between the two neighbours,” he noted.
Zarif pointed to earlier agreements on the legal regime of the
Caspian Sea, and expressed Iran’s preparedness to work on joint
projects on the body of water.
He said no issue should influence friendships between the two
countries, and expressed the hope that Iran-Turkmenistan Joint
Committee would hold a session in the near future.
The Turkmen diplomat, in turn, highlighted the significance of his
country’s ties and cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran,
and referred to the “constructive” talks he earlier in the day held
with his Iranian counterpart Seyyed Abbas Araqchi in Tehran.
“We are trying to prepare the grounds for expansion and deepening
of cooperation and bilateral relations and friendship with Iran by
removing certain obstacles,” he added.
A number of big economic projects have been recently implemented. Besides gas pipelines, the Iran–Turkmenistan Friendship Dam was built and the North-South railway project was completed with Kazakhstan’s participation.