TEHRAN - Energy officials from Iran and Turkey stressed the need to operationalize the electricity exchange between the two neighbors as soon as possible to promote bilateral ties in the relevant field.

In a meeting with Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar in Tehran, Iranian Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian said Iran is ready to develop the electricity exchange with Ankara in the shortest time possible.

The political relations between Iran and Turkey are excellent and the two countries have great capacities to expand their economic cooperation in various fields, Mehrabian underlined.

Turkey is presently one of the major consumers of electricity in the region and also a gateway for energy transmission to Europe, Mehrabian added.

Pointing to the constructive talks with his Turkish counterpart about the exchange of electricity, the Iranian minister predicted that the operational process would begin in the shortest time possible.

EF/