"Turkey, Iran must form alliance to preserve global peace"

Turkish State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said Monday that Turkey and Iran had to form alliance and support each other in order to preserve global peace and to solve regional problems, Anadolu Agency reported.

Speaking to the AA in Tehran where he arrived to attend the "Second International Nevruz Celebrations", Arinc said that Iran was highly pleased to see Turkey's participation in Nevruz celebrations at the level of a deputy prime minister.

Stressing that he met Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadi-Nejad twice in Tehran, Arinc said that Ahmadi-Nejad and he discussed regional matters and how Turkish-Iranian relations could be strengthened further.

We have historic and cultural relations with Iran. Turkey and Iran are countries where great civilizations were established in the past, Arinc noted.

We believe that we have to form an alliance in order to preserve global peace and to solve regional problems. We wish to promote our relations in all fields and make them as strong as the relations between our parliaments and governments. I think that commercial, economic, tourism related, educational and cultural relations between Turkey and Iran will be at a much better level in the upcoming years, Arinc said.

The annual trade volume between Turkey and Iran is around 10 billion USD. This figure will go up to 20 billion USD in the next few years, Arinc stressed.

Around two million Iranians visit Turkey annually. Iranians are the fourth largest group of foreign tourists visiting Turkey, Arinc said.

We hope that more Turks would visit Iran. Iran has historic sites in all corners of the country, Arinc said.

More and more Turkish businessmen are visible in Iran. Aside from investments, Turkish businessmen have reached important status in Iran in the construction sector, Arinc added.


/Trend/