Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 7
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the recent nuclear framework agreement would lead to an increase in Iran-Turkey economic ties.
"I believe that the Lausanne nuclear accord between Iran and the P5+1 can help Turkish-Iranian trade and economic ties and create more facilities for investors," Rouhani said.
He made the remarks during a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on April 7 in Tehran, broadcasted live by the state-run IRINN TV.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a short-term visit to Tehran on Apr.7.
It should be noted that the latest talks by Iran and the P5+1 (the US, UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany) ended in a framework agreement on April 2. The negotiating sides issued a final statement at the end of the 8-day talks which clarified the objectives of a final deal which is to be reached by July 1.
The deal would limit Tehran's nuclear activities beyond the NPT requirements to ensure the great powers of the peacefulness of the country's nuclear program, and in return it would lift all international sanctions on the Islamic Republic's economy.
Rouhani said that his Turkish counterpart has welcomed the Lausanne agreement, praising the Turkish government's support for Iran's nuclear program.
Rouhani also touched upon the second meeting of the High Level Cooperation Council between the two countries which was held in Tehran.
"Some issues were discussed at the meeting which will be finalized in the third session of the High Level Cooperation Council in Ankara," Iranian president said without disclosing more details.
The first meeting of the council was also held in Ankara in June 2014 when President Rouhani visited Turkey.
Iran and Turkey also signed eight memorandum of understandings (MoU) on the sidelines of the joint press conference. The documents cover cooperation in various fields including health, environment, supporting small investments, electronic data interchange and education as well as social issues.
Tehran and Ankara intend to increase their trade volume to $30 billion in the current year. The two states have signed a preferential trade agreement that could pave the way for a rise in the bilateral trade. The two countries' trade turnover stood at $13.7 billion in 2014, according to the data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute.
The trade turnover between Turkey and Iran stood at $22 billion in 2012 before dipping to $14.5 billion in the following year due to the economic sanctions imposed on Tehran by the West.
The two sides are determined not to allow the political tensions to affect the economic goals.
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