Turkish foreign minister to visit Iran next week

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is scheduled to pay an official visit to Iran to discuss bilateral ties as well as regional and international developments with his Iranian counterpart.

Cavusoglu will travel to Tehran next week at the invitation of Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

According to Turkey’s state TV, Cavusoglu will arrive in Tehran on Wednesday, December 17, 2014.

Despite some differences on certain regional issues, Turkey and Iran have recently made efforts to enhance bilateral relations.

Tehran and Ankara signed 10 economic agreements during a visit by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the head of a high-ranking delegation to Turkey in June.

The value of trade between Iran and Turkey in the first half of 2014 stood at USD 6.5 billion, according to data released by Turkish Statistical Institute.

Trade between Turkey and Iran totaled USD 22 billion in 2012 before dipping to USD 14.5 billion in the following year due to the economic sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic by the West.

The two neighboring countries seek to increase their trade volume to USD 35 billion by 2015.