President Gül Reiterates Importance of Turkish-Iranian Cooperation to Regional Stability, Peace, Security and Prosperity

Hosting a joint press conference with President Rouhani of Iran at the Çankaya Presidential Palace, President Gül declared Iran to be a friend with which Turkey enjoys a human and cultural bonds and to be a neighbor with which it has a border that has not changed since 1639, maintaining: “We have reviewed our relations in all areas and reaffirmed our will to carry further these relations.”

President Abdullah Gül hosted a joint press conference with President Hassan Rouhani of Iran at the Çankaya Presidential Palace.

TURKISH-IRANIAN HIGH LEVEL COOPERATION COUNCIL

Sharing his pleasure at welcoming his Iranian counterpart to Turkey, President Gül recalled that President Rouhani is the first Iranian counterpart to pay a state visit to Turkey in 18 years, which he said makes this visit a historic one.

Declaring Iran to be a friend with which Turkey enjoys a human and cultural bonds and and to be a neighbor with which it has a border that has not changed since 1639, President Gül noted that the high-level mutual visits made between the two countries make great contributions to the existing bilateral relations they enjoy in every way. The Turkish-Iranian High Level Cooperation Council that will be held today is of great importance in that it demonstrates the level that Turkish-Iranian relations have reached, added the President, saying: “We have reviewed our relations in all areas and reaffirmed our will to carry further these relations. The contractual infrastructure of Turkish-Iranian relations has already been established. The agreements we have signed today will add the strength of the legal infrastructure.”

HUGE POTENTIAL FOR TRADE

President Gül further reiterated the importance of the economy and trade in the bilateral relations between the two contries and maintained that they aim to double the current volume of trade which is worth 15 billion dollars, pointing out that there is huge potential to be seized by Turkey and Iran. The policies that Iran is pursuing under the leadership of President Rouhani, said the President, have paved the way for its economy and predicted that the private sector to which President Rouhani attaches great importance will urge business leaders to conduct more investments mutually.

The President further noted that they during the talks between their delegations have reiterated the importance that the Preferential Trade Agreement that they signed last October should be implemented without further delay, underscoring the significance of putting into practice the decisions made during a meeting held as part of the Joint Economic Council.

CONTRIBUTIONS OF TURKISH-IRANIAN FRIENDHIP TO REGION

President Gül pointed out that the cooperation between Turkey and Iran, two friends with deep-rooted traditions and history, will affirmatively contribute to the regional stability, peace and security as well as to the development of the economic cooperation and prosperity in the whole region. “We have also discussed how we can lend our support to the resolution of the existing problems including the terrorist activities that emerge following instability in the region.

IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM

The steps that can be taken with a constructive approach, the President accentuated, will also make great contributions to the regional peace, stability and prosperity and continued as follows: “We have always underscored the importance of reaching a resolution of the issue related to Iran’s nuclear program through diplomatic means. We still hold the same view and Turkey’s stance on this issue is clear. We do not want any country in our region to possess nuclear weapons. We still hold the vision for a Middle East that is stripped of WMDs. On the other hand, we believe that no country should be deprived of the right to take advantage of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Benefiting from nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is a right for all of us as long as the international norms are followed and a full and transparent cooperation with the IAEA is achieved.”

President Gül further expressed his pleasure at the level the negotiations carried out with the P5+1 group have reached and reiterated that Turkey strongly supports the conclusion of the negotiations in a way that will lift altogether the sanctions imposed upon Iran.

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