Iranian FM Sets Ambitious Goal For Trade Relations With Turkey

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, in Tehran to discuss the expansion of bilateral trade relations.

During the meeting, Amir-Abdollahian announced an ambitious goal of increasing trade between the two nations up to 30 billion euros.

The two foreign ministers reiterated their commitment to strengthening economic ties and agreed to sign a comprehensive agreement on trade cooperation.

Notably, during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran and Turkey had previously agreed to increase bilateral trade to 30 billion dollars by 2016. However, recent official figures from Turkey reveal that the trade volume remains significantly lower, with total exports to Iran amounting to only 1.66 billion dollars in the first seven months of this year, and imports from Iran standing at 1.36 billion dollars.

Last year, the total bilateral trade between Iran and Turkey amounted to less than 6.4 billion dollars, underscoring the need for renewed efforts to achieve the ambitious trade target.

Meanwhile, Hakan Fidan, the Turkish Foreign Minister, emphasized the need for cooperation between Turkey and Syria in combating the Kurdish PKK group, recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union, and the United States. He called for increased collaboration between the Syrian government and Ankara on this issue.

Amir-Abdollahian echoed the importance of addressing Turkey and Syria's concerns related to terrorism, border security, and refugees through diplomatic dialogue, emphasizing respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both countries.