Turkey, Iran Can Reach $30 Billion Annual Trade Target: Erdogan

Alwaght- Turkey and Iran are capable of increasing the volume of their annual trade to the $30 billion target they had previously set for themselves, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Erdogan made the remark in a Thursday meeting with Iran's new Ambassador to Ankara Mohammad Hassan Habibollah Zadeh as he submitted his credentials to the president.

Erdogan said there are ample grounds for the two countries to promote cooperation, particularly in trade and economy.

Back in 2018, Iran and Turkey agreed to step up economic cooperation with the aim of reaching the $30-billion target set for their annual trade.

The Turkish president underscored the importance of promoting bilateral cooperation to fight terrorism and Islamophobia and to forge unity in the Muslim world.

Erdogan invited Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi to pay a visit to Turkey and said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan plans to travel to Tehran in the near future.

The Iranian ambassador, for his part, said Tehran and Ankara would continue to exchange views on leading bilateral, regional and international political developments. He also hailed the common stance of Iran, Turkey and a number of Muslim countries vis-à-vis the recent desecration of the Holy Qur'an in Sweden and Denmark.

Over the past month, the Holy Qur’an has been subject to acts of desecration by extremist elements in separate incidents in Sweden and Denmark, which were perpetrated under the aegis of those countries' governments.