Iran and Turkey discuss bilateral relations

On 15 April, the Special Assistant to the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament for International Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollakhyan, met with the Ambassador of Turkey to the Islamic Republic of Iran, Derya Ersom, to discuss the development of bilateral relations. This was reported by Iranian agency Mehr News on April 16. The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has overshadowed global ties and regional exchanges, and constructive interaction between regional and neighbouring states contributes to an effective solution to the situation, the Iranian official said. Amir Abdollakhyan noted the deep cultural, religious and historical ties between Iran and Turkey, and stressed the importance of developing friendly relations between the two countries in all areas. He stressed that the Iranian Parliament welcomed the increasing cooperation with neighbouring Turkey. The Iranian official also described the current relations between Tehran and Ankara in the field of regional and international cooperation as excellent. Iranian medical personnel are ready to share their experience with neighboring Turkey in the field of coronavirus control, he said, noting: Joint cooperation between Iran and Turkey in the fight against this disease is of paramount importance. Ambassador Derya Eers of Turkey to the Islamic Republic of Iran, in turn, expressed satisfaction with the expansion of ties between Iran and Turkey and added: The peoples, parliaments and governments of the two countries have established friendly cultural, religious and historical relations based on the policy of good-neighbourliness, which dates back to long-standing times. He also wished a speedy recovery to Ali Larijani, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, who was infected with the COVID-19 virus.