Baku, Azerbaijan, March 5
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
Iran and Turkey are determined to deal with their differences regarding the regional issues in order to safeguard security in the region, said Eshaq Jahangiri, Iran's first vice president.
He made the remarks during a joint press conference with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Tehran March 5, Iran's state-run IRINN TV reported.
During the meeting with Davutoglu, the two parties discussed regional issues, as well as the issues of mutual interest, according to Jahangiri
Tehran and Ankara share the same viewpoint on many issues, Jahangiri underlined, adding however in some regional matters there are differences.
He further said the two countries share mutual interest in establishing security and stability in the entire region.
Jahangiri added that terrorist groups are negatively affecting security in the region.
"The officials from the two sides have held fruitful talks on cooperation in oil and energy fields, as well as transportation, customs issues, preferential tariffs, banking ties, as well as tourism," Jahangiri added.
"Turkey is the main target for Iranian tourists," he said, expressing hope that Turkish investors will invest in Iran's tourism sector.
"The two sides are determined to boost annual trade to $30 billion," Jahangiri added.
He said it was agreed that the next round of Iran-Turkey joint economic cooperation commission will be held in a month to settle the barriers ahead of materializing this purpose.
Davutoglu, heading a high-ranking delegation, arrived in Tehran's Mehrabad Airport March 4, where he was welcomed by Iran's ICT Minister Mahmoud Vaezi.
Davutoglu is accompanied by ministers of economy, customs and trade, energy, transport, communications and development, government officials and representatives of major Turkish media.
Turkish prime minister, during his two-day visit to Iran, is scheduled to negotiate and meet with senior Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and President Hassan Rouhani.
Following Davutoglu's visit to Iran, the upcoming visits by Foreign Minister Zarif and President Rouhani to Turkey are also on the schedule.
Tehran and Ankara intend to increase their trade volume to $30 billion. 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.