11th Iran-Turkey High Security Council meeting convenes
Güncelleme Tarihi:
The three-day 11th Iran-Turkey High Security Council meeting opened at the Ministry of Interior in Tehran on Sunday evening. A report released by the Public Relations Department of the Interior Ministry said that Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs Mohammad-Baqer Zolqadr and his Turkish counterpart, Shahabeddin Harput were both in attendance at the inaugural session.
Although Turkey experienced a decrease in its natural gas supply from Iran in early Febraury, Zolqadr was noted as saying that the two countries "have been enjoying the highest level of relations for two centuries."
He also noted that economic ties were at the highest level in the history of Iran-Turkey relations. "Trade exchange between Iran and Turkey had exceeded $4 billion by end-2005," Zolqadr said. "During the ongoing meeting, the draft of a security agreement, which was on the agenda of the 10th joint meeting, will be finalized," he said.
Also on the agenda to be discussed was cooperation in the campaign against smuggling of goods, drugs, weapons and hallucinegics through borders of the two states will be high on the agenda of the event, he disclosed. Zolqadr further disclosed that at the meeting decisions will be made on campaign against terrorism and infiltration of terrorists through their borders.
"Given the fact that 50 million dollars worth of hallucigenic drugs were confiscated from international smugglers in Turkey last year, we are prepared to cooperate with Iran to prevent more of such illegal drugs from entering Turkey," Harput said.
The deputy minister pointed to the long, joint borders of Iran and Turkey and said that close cooperation and exchange of views was required to control them.