Addressing a joint press conference after the meeting, the Turkish minister expressed content about the ever-increasing mutual relations between Iran and Turkey and said that the two countries are determined to expand their common ties on the way to pursue the common interests.

“During the Turkish-Iranian High Level Cooperation Council (HLCC) meeting, held four months ago in Ankara, the Presidents of the two countries ordered ministers to develop all-out ties and under the framework of our duties we pursue joint interests as well as mutual cooperation and confidence,” Turan said.

Calling the held meeting the most comprehensive and important mutual meeting between Iran and Turkey in transportation sector, he added that the two sides are determined to reach the set annual $30-billion-trade transactions.

As the Turkish minister informed, during the meeting the two sides have signed an MOU, and important decisions have been made in sectors of road railway, marine, and air transportation as well.

Turan also underlined the role that Iran and Turkey play in the region and the significance of their cooperation, which would guarantee interests of both sides and the region, as well.

The Turkish minister added that Turkey and Iran can cat as a bridge to connect Europe to west Asia, and related bilateral negotiations for development of new transportation ways are underway.

The Iranian minister, for his turn, named four pivotal points of the talks and agreements between Iran and Turkey during the held two-day meeting as expansion of transit ties between West Asia and Europe, establishing Tehran-Ankara railway, following up measures for implementing the trilateral Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul agreement, and launching a new railway for developing mutual transit between Iran and Turkey.

“This meeting is held after seven years in this period of time and also after four months after HLCC meeting,” Eslami said, “It reveals the message of the two countries’ officials for development of mutual cooperation and reaching the targeted $30 billion trade transactions.”

As he further explained, worthy agreements have also been signed on modifying the working hours of the offices at mutual borders and also shortening the long queues of trucks at the joint borders to facilitate mutual transit at Bazargan and other borders.

In his remarks, Eslami thanked the Turkish government for their dispatched aid to flood-stricken regions of Iran as well as its political stance against the US unilateralistic policies about Iran.