Iran, Turkey sign co-op deals
By Sara Rajabova
Iran and Turkey have signed 10 cooperation agreements during Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's visit to Ankara on June 9.
The agreements are focused on cooperation in the fields of tourism, customs, cultural heritage, higher education, and mailing services, IRNA news agency reported.
Rouhani headed a high-ranking delegation to Turkey which included foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Minister of Culture Ali Jannati, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh and Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli.
Iran and Turkey are interested in expanding the trade ties between the two countries.
After meeting with Iranian president, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a press conference, Turkey will bolster its trade ties with neighboring Iran by speeding up the implementation process of a preferential trade agreement signed in January, Anadolu Agency reported.
"We had set a goal during my visit to Iran in January: to raise the trade between the two countries to $30 billion by 2015," Erdogan said.
Erdogan noted the trade between Turkey and Iran stood at $22 billion in 2012 before dipping to $14.5 billion in the following year due to economic sanctions imposed on Tehran.
"As part of our endeavor to fix this, we have reaffirmed the necessity of forming a High Council of Strategic Cooperation and establishing a preferential trade zone between the two countries," he said.
Trade volume between Turkey and Iran stood at $3.2 billion in the first quarter, according to Turkey's official statistics office.
For his part, Iranian President Rouhani said he and Erdogan exchanged views on bilateral ties and regional developments.
Calling on Turkish businessmen to invest in Iran's railways and ports, he said Iran and Turkey reached agreements to boost cooperation in energy, transportation, tourism and banking.
On another question whether his visit would help Turkey buy cheaper gas from Iran, Rouhani said they discussed the issue and relevant ministers of both countries would continue negotiations.
Iran is the most expensive gas supplier of Turkey, which imports most of its 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year from Russia.
Rouhani's visit is the first official visit of an Iranian president to Turkey since Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's trip to Ankara in 1996.
Before leaving Tehran, Rouhani said during a press conference that boosting bilateral ties with neighboring countries including Turkey is a priority for his administration.
He went on to underline that his administration is pursuing the issue of expanding relations with Turkey since he took office last August.