TEHRAN- During the 27th meeting of Iran-Turkey Joint Economic Committee, which was held in Ankara from September 16 to 18, the two sides investigated different ways of reaching the targeted $30-billion bilateral trade and reiterated that reaching this figure is possible despite the pressures of the U.S. sanctions.

During the meeting, the Iranian president’s chief of staff, Mahmoud Vaezi, who is the Iranian chairman of the committee, mentioned expediting the process of implementing bilateral agreements on trade and economic issues as the most prioritized objective of the joint committee and said Iran has no limitation for expanding and deepening cooperation with Turkey, the portal of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) reported.

Despite all problems created by the U.S. illegal sanctions, the development path of Iran-Turkey ties will continue through more activity of the two sides’ private sectors, the Iranian official noted.

Turkey’s Energy Minister Fatih Dönmez, who is the Turkish chairman of the joint committee, for his part said that the target of $30-billion trade is realistic and Turkish government will take all endeavors to preserve and expand economic ties with Iran and implement the agreements between the two sides.

“Turkish president and officials have several times announced it clearly that they do not accept the U.S. unilateral sanctions against Iran”, the official further stressed.

During the meeting, which was participated by some representatives of ICCIMA and Iran-Turkey Joint Chamber of Commerce, cooperation between the two sides’ private sectors, investment opportunities and holding different exhibitions in both countries in line with improving bilateral trade were discussed and reiterated.

Removing the barriers existing in the way of banking and customs relations, laying the ground for new and effective cooperation and also more investment making by the two sides were the other issues debated during the 27th meeting of Iran-Turkey Joint Economic Committee.

The meeting was held during the visit of an Iranian high-ranking delegation to Turkey, accompanying Iranian President Hassan Rouhani who arrived in Ankara on Sunday night to take part in a trilateral meeting with his Russian and Turkish counterparts in order to discuss a political resolution to the crisis in Syria.

The delegation comprised of Iranian ministers of foreign affairs, defense, energy, agriculture, the governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) and some other Iranian senior officials.

Afghanistan-Iran-Turkey transport corridor to be established soon

Iranian Deputy Transport Minister Shahram Adamnejad announced that during the 27th meeting of the joint committee, the two sides agreed on the soon establishment of a transport corridor between Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey.

He also said that Tehran-Istanbul train route will be inaugurated soon.

The two sides declared their satisfaction about launching Tehran-Van and Tehran-Ankara trains and decided to investigate launching Tehran-Istanbul train as soon as possible in a meeting in Tehran, the Iranian official stated.

MA/MA