Tehran--Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani for talks in Tehran Tuesday despite tensions over regional conflicts including in Yemen and Syria.
Heading a high-ranking delegation, Erdogan made no statement as he began talks with Rouhani before a meeting later with Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Officials said the talks would focus on strengthening trade and economic relations.
"The two presidents stressed that the volume of trade reached $30 billion (28 billion euros)" in 2015, said Iranian Telecommunications Minister Mahmoud Vaezi, who heads a joint commission for economic cooperation.
Eight documents, including on transport, customs, industry and health, were to be signed during the visit -- only Erdogan's second to Iran.
But there had been calls from Iranian conservatives for the visit to be cancelled, after Erdogan accused Shiite Iran of backing "terrorist" rebels in Yemen in the face of an air campaign led by its Sunni arch-rival Saudi Arabia.
Iran's top diplomat, Mohammad Javad Zarif, then accused Ankara of fuelling instability in the Middle East.
The meeting also comes hot on the heels of a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and major powers that has aroused commercial ambitions around the world in the expectation of an easing of international sanctions.
Turkey is a key backer of rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Iran is his main regional supporter.
AFP
