Iran- Turkey security concerns interlinked

Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi said yesterday that in the current sensitive situation in the Middle East region, the security and interests of Iran and Turkey are interlinked.

According to Public Relations Department of Interior Ministry, Pour-Mohammadi made the remarks in his meeting with Turkish Ambassador Hasano Turcan Turkoglu.

At the meeting, the minister referred to the need for expanding cooperation between Tehran and Ankara in meeting their goals and common causes.

Highlighting the highly economic and industrial potentials as well as remarkable geopolitical status of Iran and Turkey in the region, he said expansion of mutual interaction could have a significant effect on the international scene.

The Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey share identical situations but with different attitude towards pace of developments and progress, he said adding that broad-based development and advancement of bilateral ties would dissatisfy the Americans and the Europeans.

Referring to recent activities of terrorist groups in Iran and Turkish borders, he said the saboteur grouplets infiltrate the common borders to inflict damages but they should not be permitted to achieve their goals and endanger the security of the two countries.

"We fully take advantage of our forces to secure Turkish territory from any attacks across our borders," he underlined.

The Turkish ambassador, for his part, expressed satisfaction with the level of security cooperation between the two countries and lauded Iran's success in dealing with the issue of drug trafficking as well as raising the level of security cooperation mainly to prevent illegal migrations.

Refuting rumors on the reinforcement of Turkish troops on Iraq's border with Iran, he said that reinforcing forces is in line with dealing with common threats and the two sides' public opinions should not be affected by such rumors.