Iran, Turkmenistan to expand ties

Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and his Turkmen counterpart Rashid Meredov have reiterated the significance of developing ties between the two neighboring states.

Salehi met with Meredov in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Saturday on the sidelines of the two-day International Conference on the Global Fight against Terrorism, IRNA reported.

The two sides discussed political, economic, trade, and cultural relations and reviewed joint projects in the fields of oil, gas, electricity, and railway.

During the meeting, the senior Iranian official pointed out that Tehran is ready to boost mutual economic and cultural ties with Ashgabat.

Meredov, for his part, noted that Turkmenistan is interested in the further expansion of cooperation with Iran on energy and transportation projects, saying that Ashgabat’s priority is collaborating with Tehran.

The Iranian foreign minister also met with a number of other top officials from various countries on the sidelines of the summit on Saturday.

In another meeting, Grenada’s Culture Minister Arley Gill delivered a message to Salehi on behalf of the Latin American country’s foreign minister.

Salehi, for his part, announced that Iran is prepared to cooperate with Grenada in fields of trade and industry.

In his meeting with Mali’s Defense Minister Natie Plea, the Iranian foreign minister called on the international community to fight against terrorism, which, he said, has spread across the world.

Plea also said his country is serious about the matter as the West African state is also engaged in the fight against terrorism.

Salehi also pointed to Iran’s good relations with Algeria in a meeting with Mohamed Kamel, an adviser to Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

The Algerian official further explained latest developments in North Africa during the meeting with the top Iranian official.