Iran, Turkey enjoy common interests

TEHRAN - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday that Iran and Turkey share common interests when meeting with visiting Turkish minister of development, Press TV reported.

"Iran and Turkey are two large countries with plentiful talents, and the development of bilateral relations is in the interests of both countries and the entire region," said Ahmadinejad.

"Common enemies" of both countries are against the expansion of ties between the two nations, as it would be harmful to their interests, he was quoted as saying.

Turkish Minister of Development Cevdet Yilmaz, for his part, hailed the expansion of Iran-Turkey relations during Ahmadinejad's presidency, saying that his country supports more cooperation with the Islamic republic.

The Turkish minister added that Tehran and Ankara share interests in regional and global issues, "and even if we have differences of opinion on some issues, Turkey recognizes that the future and destiny of the two countries are tied together," according to Press TV.

Turkey seeks to increase the volume of trade transactions with Iran to more than $30 billion from the current level of $22 billion, said Yilmaz who, heading an economic delegation, is on a three-day visit to Iran.