Turkish Speaker Heads To Tehran

Ankara, Sept 22, IRNA -- Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek left Ankara for Tehran at the head of a delegation on Saturday to pay a visit to Iran at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Ali Larijani. During his two-day stay, Cicek is scheduled to meet with senior Iranian officials including the Supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Hassan Rohani, first Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri as well as Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani. In an exclusive interview with IRNA prior to his departure to Tehran, he referred to Iran and Turkey as two key countries in the region, saying that Ankara attached special importance to ties with Tehran. He said during his stay in Tehran, he will discus issues of mutual interest and ways to develop economic and trade cooperation. He noted that exchange of visits between the two countries provides the chance to review the latest bilateral, regional and global developments. He highlighted the role of parliamentary friendship groups in both countries to enhance cooperation between the two legislative bodies and stressed the need for enhanced ties. Asked to comment on the Syrian crisis, Cicek described the situation there as totally unacceptable, noting that defenseless people including the elderly, women and children have been victims to the current fighting and bloodshed and that several million Syrians have been left homeless. He condemned the double-standard stance of the Western governments toward Syria and slammed any terrorist actions in the country./end