ANKARA
Spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ramin Mehmanparast said on Tuesday that they wanted to secure stability in the region.
In regard to difference of opinion between Turkey and Iran on deployment of Patriot missiles in Turkey, Mehmanparast said that they wanted to secure stability in the region and stability was to the interest of all regional countries.
Western countries' military presence caused instability in the region, he said, adding that there was no need for presence of countries from other regions.
Replying to a question on Turkish officials' uneasiness over Iran's remarks, he said that it also affected the Iranian public opinion, stating that these remarks could be misinterpreted.
Mehmanparast said that Iran was beside Turkey in combating terrorism, stating that joint cooperation program between Turkey and Iran has been under way.
Replying to a question on economic sanctions on Iran, he said that Iran's nuclear program was peaceful.
Mehmanparast said that Iran's trade volume with Turkey was 16 billion USD in 2011 and the figure rose to 19.6 billion USD in the first ten months of 2012, adding that they aimed to boost the figure to 30 billion USD in 2015.
In regard to a program proposed by Iran to end Syrian crisis, he said that clashes in Syria must be stopped and Syrian people's demands should be supported.
