Rouhani: Closer Iran-Turkey Ties in Interest of Region, Global Peace

Iran’s President-elect Hassan Rouhani said Monday that the enhancement of the relations between the Islamic Republic and Turkey will benefit the region as well as global peace.

“The Iranian and Turkish nations have unique historical and cultural commonalities and we hope that these commonalities will lead to stability and security in this important and sensitive region of the world at this juncture,” he said responding to an earlier congratulatory message from Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul.

He added that the two nations can boost mutual ties in a whole range of areas, which will benefit the region and global peace.

In the Monday telephone conversation, Gul once again congratulated Rouhani over his victory in the June 14 presidential election.

The Turkish president expressed hope the Rouhani administration would be successful, calling for closer Iran-Turkey ties.

Rouhani emerged victorious in the presidential election of June 14, which was marked by a high voter turnout, winning 50.7 percent of a total of 36, 704, 156 ballots counted.