Istanbul - Iran wants to discuss greater economic cooperation with neighbouring Turkey in talks in Istanbul on Saturday, Tehran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said in comments broadcast by Iranian television.
Zarif arrived in Istanbul, where he is due to meet with President Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Turkey's foreign ministry has said the aim of talks will be “current regional and international developments” as well as bilateral relations between the two countries.
Zarif suggested that business would be high on the agenda.
“We are seeking the best possible level of economic cooperation with Turkey after the nuclear deal,” he told reporters in Istanbul.
After the lifting of international sanctions this year following a deal with Western powers to curb its nuclear programme, Iran has become the biggest economy to rejoin the global trading system since the Soviet Union broke up more than two decades ago.
Gains by reformist candidates in Iranian elections last month have also opened the way for changes to economic policy that will boost foreign investment and trade with the West, businessmen and analysts have said.
While Iran and Turkey back opposing sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen, their economic interdependence has kept relations broadly on track.
Meeting in Tehran earlier this month, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Davutoglu agreed they must cooperate to end sectarian strife, including support for a fragile Syrian ceasefire.
Reuters