Iran, Turkey set $30b trade target for 2015

TEHRAN, Jan. 21 (MNA) – Iran and Turkey agreed to increase the value of their bilateral trade to $30 billion by 2015. The agreement was made during the 23rd meeting of Iran-Turkey joint economic committee in Ankara on January 18, which was chaired by Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and Turkish Environment and Urbanization Minister Erdogan Bayraktar. In the meeting, Salehi said that Iran is a trustworthy partner for Turkey, the two countries can complement each other, and their economies should be interwoven. Iran, as a reliable supplier of energy, and Turkey, as an industrial country, can have close economic cooperation, he said, adding that providing the necessary facilities, implementing economic agreements, and holding more meetings will help the two countries achieve the trade target of $30 billion in 2015. He also said that Iran and Turkey can cooperate in such a way that they would form an axis of peace and stability in the region. Bayraktar said that the value of trade between Iran and Turkey increased by 70 percent in 2011 and expressed hope that it would reach $30 billion by 2015 through efforts by the committee.