Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has described the prospects for further bilateral relations between Ankara and Tehran as “very positive.”

In a meeting with the Iranian Ambassador to Turkey Alireza Bigdeli on Monday morning, Davutoglu pointed to the commonalties between Turkey and Iran, and underscored the role of ambassadors and diplomatic missions in facilitating the broader between the two neighboring states.

He went on to say that Turkey-Iran relations have witnessed a quantum leap over the past 10 years in light of the goodwill and brotherly interactions among officials from both countries, noting that there is still potential for stronger mutual ties.

The Turkish foreign minister also referred to the various aspects of cooperation between Ankara and Tehran at bilateral, regional and internal levels, terming the prospects for enhanced Turkey-Iran ties as very positive.

Bigdeli, for his part, touched upon the affinities between the Iranian and Turkish nations, and called for enhancement of cooperation between Iran and Turkey in diverse fields.

He said raising the volume of trade exchanges to 35 billion dollars within the next three years would be possible in light of the growth in the infrastructure necessary for economic and trade cooperation between Iran and Turkey, noting that all bodies are required to play their roles to help materialize this goal.

On August 5, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the improvement of relations between Iran and Turkey at different levels will play an important role in establishing regional peace and stability.

In a meeting with Davutoglu in Tehran, Rouhani said the two neighboring countries have great capacities for better ties which should be used to strengthen mutual relations at bilateral, regional, and international levels.

He added that Iran and Turkey will have “growing” ties in the future.

The Turkish foreign minister, for his part, said his country believes that enhanced relations and cooperation between Tehran and Ankara would serve the two nations’ interests.

Davutoglu expressed Turkey’s readiness to increase economic cooperation with Iran.

HK