Turkey Stresses Expansion Of 'Friendly' Iran Ties

The Turkish ambassador to Iran says his country will not miss any opportunity to further strengthen the "friendly" relations between Ankara and Tehran in different areas.



In a meeting on April 21 with First Vice Speaker of Iran's parliament Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi-Fard in Tehran, Umit Yardim described the Islamic Republic as a "friendly" and "brotherly" country and said Ankara would take all opportunities to bolster its bilateral ties with Tehran, Iranian Press TV reported on April 22.



The Turkish envoy also described Tehran-Ankara parliamentary ties as "positive," saying the parliaments of the two countries play a special role in issues of regional and international importance.



Yardim further underlined the significance of cultural exchanges as an important factor in broadening the bilateral relations between the two nations, calling for more frequent visits by officials of the two countries.



The senior Iranian lawmaker, for his part, stated that the expansion of all-out relations with Turkey is among the priorities of Iran's foreign policy.



Aboutorabi-Fard also stressed the need for Iran and Turkey to reach more "common" and "strategic" views on the developments in the Middle East and the Islamic world, saying, "The West does not favor the presence of Islam and Muslims in the arena of political power at all."



In January 2014, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a document for the establishment of a high council for political cooperation between Iran and Turkey for the first time after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979.



The council is designed to pave the way for broader cooperation between the two countries.