ANKARA - State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin met on Wednesday with Iranian Vice President Mohsen Mehr-Alizadeh and accompanying delegation.
Following the meeting, Sahin told reporters that Iranian delegation and he exchanged views on the latest situation after the quake in Iran.
Sahin quoted Mehr-Alizadeh as saying that he came to Turkey to thank Turkish government for its aid after the quake which jolted Bam city of Iran.
Sahin said that Mehr-Alizadeh stated in the meeting that there were nearly 30 thousand people in Bam and other people settled in other cities and efforts to settle people in prefabricated huts in Bam continued.
Stating that Mehr-Alizadeh was also the chairman of Iranian Physical Education Institution, Sahin said that the sides also wanted to further improve cooperation in sports between the two countries.
Sahin said that Mehr-Alizadeh offered that a match could be played between the two countries and its income could be donated to people in Bam. Sahin added that they would assess this demand.
Noting that commercial relations between the two countries improved recently, Sahin said that they were determined to further improve those relations.
Mehr-Alizadeh said that he came to Turkey to convey thanks of Iranian people and state to Turkish people and state.
Mehr-Alizadeh noted that Turkish people's and government's solidarity and sympathy to Iranian people eased sufferings stemming from the quake.
Stating that cooperation in political, economic, commercial and cultural fields improved between Turkey and Iran last two years, he said that he hoped it would further develop.
(EÖ-AÖ) 28.01.2004