President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Thursday that Iran will continue Geneva talks over its nuclear issue while insisting preservation of its absolute and legal rights and welcomes any initiative on part of `friends` in that connection.
Addressing a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul on the first day of his two-day working trip to Turkey, President Ahmadinejad said, `We believe dialogue is the best way and have always announced readiness for that.
We think adherence to law and talks is the best solution to problems.
` President Ahmadinejad also thanked Turkey, especially President Gul, for supporting dialogue and diplomacy as solution to the nuclear problem.
He said logically, Iran and the G5+1 should focus on common grounds of their proposed packages as a means to reach mutual understanding.
`This (talks on common grounds) can be a good prelude for agreement.
As for points of difference, we welcome any concrete initiative which will help expand and bolster the trend.
` Elsewhere in his remarks, President Ahmadinejad said nuclear issue is a completely clear subject.
`It is neither a technical nor a judicial issue; rather, it is a fully political issue.
The US government has been countering our nation for 30 years every time on different pretexts.
They used to issue sanctions against us in vain pretexts, when there was no nuclear problem at work.
` He went on to say that all nations need nuclear energy and it should not be monopolized by a few states.
Gulf said in return that his country favors diplomatic solution to the nuclear problem, believing that a constructive trend has begun in connection with the G5+1 proposed package.
`Ankara hopes that the trend will proceed well and come to a result in a short period of time,` he added.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here that increase in volume of Tehran-Ankara commercial transactions to the volume of dlrs 20 billion is possible.
`Regarding the will governing the two countries, increase in volume of trade to the ceiling of dlrs 20 billion is accessible,` President Ahmadinejad told a press conference in Istanbul after talks with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul on the first day of his Turkey visit.
President Ahmadinejad said Iran and Turkey reached agreement in talks on the first day of his Turkey visit to bolster cooperation on bilateral and multilateral basis to guarantee security and fight terrorism and drugs transit.
On Iraq, he said, `As for regional issues, both of us (Iran and Turkey) believe that a united, integrated, independent and powerful Iraq will be to the benefit of regional security.
` `We support political trend in Iraq and hope that Iraq legal government will assume all affairs in the country and fully run it in security and other terms.
We think that under conditions with Iraq is occupied, no issue that would challenge and put future of the country at stake should be imposed on the Iraqi nation.
In line with the approach, we (Tehran and Ankara) have stressed trilateral and multilateral cooperation.
` As for fresh tensions in the region, President Ahmadinejad said, `Both (Iran and Turkey) believe that problems should be solved through logical dialogue and efforts.
` Turkish President Abdullah Gul said that Tehran-Ankara Joint Economic and Commercial Commission will soon convene in Tehran to look into ways and means of raising volume of mutual transactions to the tune of dlrs 20 billion on a four-year horizon.
Gulf told a joint press conference with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Iranian and Turkish sides had in a joint meeting on Thursday broadly discussed mutual cooperation in energy, gas, power and oil, including decrease in Iran`s gas exports to Turkey in the winter season.
He said there were also agreements for joint campaign against drugs transit, organized crimes and terrorism.
`Next year marks the 50th anniversary of conclusion of contract for cultural cooperation between Iran and Turkey; so, the year 2009 has been designated as the Iran-Turkey cultural year and due programs will also be compiled,` he added.
On Iran`s nuclear issue, he said Turkey favors diplomacy as the breakthrough.
`A constructive trend has started with regards to the G5+1 proposed package and Ankara hopes that the process will proceed well and bear result in a short period of time,` he added.
Gulf said the Iranian and Turkish sides also support restoration of peace and stability in Georgia through peaceful means.
On Iraq too, the two countries jointly call for territorial integrity and national unity in Iraq, he added.
Gul said that Tehran and Ankara had in their Thursday discussions also touched conditions in Afghanistan and are ready to help restore peace and stability in the region.