TEHRAN, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Tuesday reiterated his country's rights to peaceful nuclear energy and hailed Ankara's stance on Tehran's nuclear program, local Press TV reported.

    "Nations cannot be deprived of their rights to peaceful nuclear energy while Israel possesses nuclear weapons," Ahmadinejad said during a meeting with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

    He also appreciated Ankara's stance on Tehran's nuclear program and called for expansion of ties between the two neighbors, according to the report.

    For his part, Erdogan backed Iran's rights to peaceful nuclear energy and said "Those who claim to seek the nuclear disarmament must start with their own arsenals."

    Heading a high-level delegation, Erdogan arrived in Tehran on Monday night. He is scheduled to meet later with Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.