Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced on Sunday that Tehran and Ankara are due to study different areas of cooperation during President Hassan Rouhani's upcoming visit to Turkey.

"Turkey is our neighbor and relations with the neighbors are the most important priority of Iran's foreign policy," Zarif said in Tehran on Sunday.

"During the president's visit, we will study many issues in areas of mutual cooperation as well as the common problems that we have with Turkey in the region," he added.

Iran and Turkey on Saturday issued a joint press release as President Rouhani is preparing to pay an official visit to Ankara on Monday.

The press release said the Iranian president will embark on a two-day official visit to Turkey on Monday at the invitation of President Gul.

"President Rouhani will discuss expansion of bilateral ties during his upcoming meetings with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara," it added.

It also said that the two sides will hold the first meeting of Iran-Turkey Cooperation Council during President Rouhani's visit to Turkey.

The Iranian president plans to pay an official visit to Turkey to discuss the latest developments on the international and regional scenes and explore new avenues for reinvigorating all-out ties.

Iran and Turkey increased their trade transactions in the first two months of 2014 as compared with the figures of the corresponding period in the last year.

The value of trade transactions between Tehran and Ankara hit $2.115bln in January and February, the trade data recently released by the Turkish government said.

Iran and Turkey have in recent years increased their cooperation in all the various fields of economy, security, trade, education, energy and culture.
 

News ID 186717