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Iran, Turkey stress security and stability in Iraq

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Istanbul, July 19, IRNA
Iran-Turkey-Security
Iranian Interior Minister Abdolvahed Moussavi-Lari and his Turkish counterpart Abdulkadir Aska explored here Monday ways of establishing security, and regional cooperation, notably in Iraqi developments.

Lari, who is in Turkey to participate in the second session of Iraq's neighboring countries interior ministers, told reporters before meeting with Aska that Tehran and Istanbul have cordial relations in many areas.

"The two nations should increase their consultations on a variety of issues given their common and shared interests."
The two states also should cooperate further in restoring security and stability in their neighboring countries, he added.

"Tehran is against all kinds of instability and insecurity in the region and all our efforts is geared to forging security in our neighboring states because we also regard it as our own security," the Iranian interior minister stated.

That is why the first such conference was held in Tehran, Lari added.

The first day of the conference was held on Monday. In the closed door meeting senior experts discussed cooperation in terrorism, revention of illegal immigration, border security and protecting the security of Iranian pilgrims in Iraq.

The final draft was also prepared to be signed at the Tuesday's ministerial session which will also explore the latest Iraqi developments, and cooperation by Iraq's neighbors to rein in nstability in the crisis-ridden country.

The first meeting of Iraqi neighboring states' interior ministers was held in Tehran in later November 2004.

In a statement issued at the end of the first meeting, the interior ministers of Iraqi neighboring states stressed sovereignty, political independence, territorial integrity and national unity of the Iraqi people.

In the latest measures Iran and Turkey last week agreed to ease control on transit of goods and open new border markets to revive their trade.

Director General of the Exports and Imports Regulations Department of Ministry of Commerce, who led an Iranian delegation to Ankara, Abbas Hosseini told a two-day meeting of Iran-Turkey joint border committee that the two sides will ease the regulations which hinder imports and exports.

Hosseini said the consignments whose weight is below one thousand tons would be checked on border and no sample will be sent to the related centers in Tehran or Ankara for checking.

He said that furthermore the two sides are to establish new border markets to raise trade and expedite economic development on border areas.

He added that the value of Iran-Turkey border trade has declined to about 15 million dollars from the set target of dlrs 100 million.

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