Turkish deputy premier meets with Iranian president

TEHRAN (A.A) - 28.03.2011 - Turkish State Minister and Deputy Premier Bulent Arinc on Sunday met with Iranian President Mahmood Ahmadinejad as part of his visit to Tehran to attend the Second International Nevruz Festival.
Speaking to the Anadolu Agency (AA) on his meeting with Ahmadinejad, Arinc said they discussed recent political developments in the North African countries and the Middle East.
"I had the opportunity to listen President Ahmadinejad's views over recent developments unfolding in our region, specifically those in Libya and Syria. He had expressed his concerns on the developments," Arinc told the AA.     
Arinc said Turkey and Iran had previously underlined that efforts should be exerted to maintain peace and stability in the region and to secure a peaceful change and transformation in the region.   
"I believe that the incidents unfolding in our region would pave the way to a democratic outcome through peaceful means and without bloodshed," Arinc said.  
The Turkish deputy premier said Turkey was willing to support Iran's economic development by boosting trade volume between the two countries, which he said had already reached more than 10 billion USD.  
Arinc said he conveyed to Ahmadinejad Turkey's invitation to participate in a UN meeting scheduled for May in Istanbul.
Arinc said he also held separate meetings with officials from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan on the sidelines of the Nevruz Festival.