Zarif: Iran ready for joint Caspian projects with Turkmenistan

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif voiced Tehran’s readiness to implement joint projects with Ashkhabad in the Caspian.

In a meeting with Turkmen Deputy Foreign Minister Vepa Hajiyev in Tehran, Zarif highlighted the great importance that Iran attaches to bilateral ties with Turkmenistan, which he described as one of the closest countries to Iran.

"We always seek enhanced relations and cooperation with Turkmenistan in various fields, and hope that we would be able to tap into all the capacities available for promotion of friendship and brotherhood between the two neighbors," the Foreign Ministry’s website cited Zarif as saying.

He also pointed to the previous bilateral agreements on the legal regime of the Caspian Sea, and expressed Iran’s preparedness to work on joint projects with Turkmenistan in world’s largest inland body of water.

No issue should influence friendships between the two countries, Zarif underlined, expressing hope that the Iran-Turkmenistan Joint Committee would hold a session in the near future, Tasnim reported.