by Xinhua writers Wang Xiuqiong, Zheng Jinfa
ANKARA, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Turkey is seeking closer ties with Iran in the fields of economy and energy while backing its neighbor's right to peacefully develop nuclear energy, but the U.S. ally has dismissed a foreign policy shift to move away from the West.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan concluded his two-day official visit to Iran on Wednesday after reaching several agreements and discussing regional issues with Iran.
Turkey and Iran would almost triple their bilateral trade to 30 billion U.S. dollars in the coming four or five years from the approximately 11 billion U.S. dollars at present, following a proposal made by Tehran, Iran's First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi was quoted as saying during Erdogan's visit to Turkey.
He said the two countries should use the Iranian rial and the Turkish lira in their trade, Iran's Press TV reported Wednesday.
Erdogan said during his visit that studies on the currency issue could be launched shortly as Turkey had made relevant legal arrangements and there were no legal obstacles from the Iranian side either, Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman reported Thursday.
Turkey and Iran had agreed to set up banks in each other to give loans in Turkish and Iranian currencies and an Iranian delegation would soon travel to Turkey for talks to open these banks, Rahimi was quoted by Turkey's semi-official Anatolia news agency as saying Wednesday.
In a move to boost energy cooperation, Iran's Deputy Oil Minister for Planning Ibrahim Radafzoun said Turkey would invest around 3.5 to 4 billion U.S. dollars in the South Pars gas field in southern Iran, which is estimated to hold about 14 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, or 8 percent of total world reserves, Iran's Fars news agency reported Tuesday.
Under agreements signed during Erdogan's visit, Iran's natural gas would be carried to Europe via Turkey while Turkmenistan's natural gas will be pumped to Turkey via Iran, Anatolia reported Thursday.
Meanwhile, Turkey has voiced support for the right to peacefully use nuclear energy by Iran, which is under U.S. and U.N. sanctions over controversial nuclear program.
Iran says it wants peaceful energy production with its nuclear program but the United States has suspected that it is for nuclear arms.
During his visit, Erdogan said Iran's nuclear program was humanitarian and pacifist, calling for a solution to the issue through diplomacy, Anatolia reported.
Turkey is against nuclear weapons, but all countries including Turkey and Iran have the right to use nuclear power for humanitarian purposes, he told a press conference in Tehran on Wednesday.
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday he appreciated Ankara's stance on Tehran's nuclear program and called for expansion of ties between the two neighbors, Press TV reported.
However, Erdogan denied that his Islamist-rooted Justice and Development (AK Party) is pursuing a change in its foreign policy to distance itself from the traditional western allies.
During the visit, the prime minister said Wednesday Turkey would not sacrifice its relations with the West for the sake of building alliances with the East, Today's Zaman reported.
Erdogan's visit came two weeks after Turkey banned Israel from participating in a NATO air force drill and later refused to censure a fictional television program that featured Israelis killing Palestinians.
Relations between Turkey and Israel began to sour in December and January, when Israel launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip.
In a rare move to protest over the operation, Erdogan stormed out of a debate with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in January.
Speaking of the incident in Switzerland on Wednesday, Erdogan said "it would be wrong to consider our stance there as an objection to the West", Today's Zaman reported.
"We've been exerting efforts to improve our relations with both the West and the East in the best way. One side of Turkey's face is looking to the West, and the other to the East," said Erdogan.
