Nouri: Turkey’s Readiness to Expand Agricultural and Provincial Cooperation
Gholamreza Nouri, Iran’s Minister of Agricultural Jihad, stated at the Bazargan border crossing in a conversation with reporters, elaborating on the details of his recent trip to Turkey and participation in the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) agricultural ministers in Kyrgyzstan: During this multi-day trip, extensive meetings were held with Turkish officials, especially with the country’s Minister of Agriculture.
He added: Given the noticeable increase in Iran-Turkey relations in the agricultural sector over the past year, the two sides emphasized the continuation of this trend and greater utilization of existing capacities. The Turkish side also declared its full readiness to expand cooperation.
The Minister of Agricultural Jihad, referring to his meetings with the governors of Turkey’s Ağrı and Iğdır provinces, said: In joint meetings with officials of these two provinces, issues related to cross-border and provincial cooperation were examined, and it was decided that steps would soon be taken to develop inter-provincial relations through free trade zones.
Nouri reported that both sides emphasized the establishment of a joint free zone, stating: This issue was strongly underscored both in meetings with Turkish national authorities and in meetings with the governors of the border provinces.
Referring to the government’s policies in developing border relations, he added: The President places special emphasis on strengthening interactions between border provinces and neighboring countries, and the necessary authorities have been delegated to the provinces in this regard. This can help facilitate relations and develop cooperation, including border marketplaces.
Nouri noted: On the sidelines of the SCO meeting, discussions were held with representatives of 12 countries and organizations, all of whom condemned the aggression of the United States and the Zionist regime against our country and declared their support for the people, government, and armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
He also reminded: At the SCO agricultural ministers’ meeting, the issue of food security, as one of the main axes given that more than 40% of the world’s population are members of this organization, was discussed and examined.
