TEHRAN, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that his country is ready to extend its gas export contract with Türkiye and expand bilateral cooperation in the electricity sector.
He made the remarks at a joint press conference with visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan following their meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran.
Araghchi said, "Iran is one of the most reliable energy suppliers for Türkiye. We expressed our readiness to extend the gas (export) contract and expand cooperation in the electricity sector."
Iran has been exporting nearly 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year to Türkiye under a 25-year agreement that was signed in 2001.
Araghchi noted that both countries underlined the importance of connecting their railroads at the shared border and expressed hope to complete the project as soon as possible, stressing that the two sides voiced willingness to promote relations in all areas, including the creation of joint free zones and activation of new border crossings.
Araghchi added Iran will soon inaugurate a consulate in Türkiye's eastern Van province, which would create a new capacity to improve bilateral relations.
The two sides also discussed the necessity to jointly work towards stopping Israel's "genocide" in Gaza, Iran's nuclear program, U.S. sanctions on the country, and the triggering of the snapback mechanism by France, Britain and Germany that led to the reinstatement of United Nations sanctions on Tehran in September, he said.
For his part, Fidan said part of his negotiations with Araghchi revolved around cooperation in the energy sector, including gas and electricity, adding, "We intend to continue bilateral consultations in the areas of common concern."
He called for enhancing bilateral cooperation in using the shared border as well as the logistics and transportation, and increasing the number of border crossings between the two countries.
Fidan slammed Israel for expanding the scope of "aggressions" against countries in West Asia, calling on the international community to fulfill its responsibilities regarding the issue of Syria and Israel's "expanding aggressions" in the region.
Commenting on Iran's nuclear issue, he said Türkiye had always stood and would continue to stand by Iran, stressing, "We maintain that such differences should be resolved within the international law framework and through dialogue."
Fidan called for the removal of "unjust" sanctions on Iran, voicing his country's readiness to provide any assistance to that end. ■
