Turkish Minister of Development Cevdet Yilmaz has reiterated his country’s opposition to the US-led sanctions against Tehran, saying Turkey will not comply with anti-Iran embargoes.
“We voted against Iran’s sanctions in the United Nations,” said Yilmaz, adding that Turkey, as a friendly country to Iran, “will not support sanctions against the Islamic Republic.”
Yilmaz made the remarks in a meeting with Chairman of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines (ICCIM) Mohammad Nahavandian and a number of Iranian businessmen in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Monday.
The US, Israel and some of their allies accuse Iran of pursuing a military nuclear program, and have used the allegation as a pretext to push the UN Security Council to impose four rounds of sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
The U.S. and the EU have imposed new financial sanctions as well as oil embargoes against Iran since the beginning of 2012, claiming that the country’s nuclear energy program includes a military component.
Iran strongly rejects the allegations, maintaining that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
The Turkish minister further said Iran and Turkey should use all the existing opportunities and capacities to boost the volume of bilateral trade, which currently stands at USD 16 billion per annum.
He also called for the establishment of more joint entry ports as well as the expansion of cross-border transportation between Iran and Turkey.
During the meeting, Iran’s Deputy Commerce Minister Massoud Movahedi praised ‘the deep-rooted’ relations between Tehran and Ankara, and said the two sides have planned to double the volume of their trade in the next three years.
The Iranian official referred to the exchange of trade delegation and creation of joint exhibitions as ways to boost mutual economic relation, and called on the private and state sectors of both countries to remove trade barriers.
Iran and Turkey have sharply increased the level of their trade ties over the past years. In 2000, the level of bilateral trade stood at about only one billion dollars, but in 2010, it exceeded 10 billion dollars. The figure hit 15 billion dollars last year.
The two neighboring countries seek to raise the value of their bilateral trade to 30 billion dollars in 2015.
(Source: PressTV)
via Turkey opposes anti-Iran sanctions: Turkish minister – Tehran Times.
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