TEHRAN The advisor to Turkmen president on religious and cultural affairs on Friday stated that Tehran-Ashkhabad relations were at a desirable level and will have further boost in near future. Dr. Murat Akayev, speaking at a commemoration ceremony for the 265th birth anniversary of the great Turkmen poet Makhtum Qoli Faraghi held in Golestan Province of Iran, added that thousands of Iranian and Turkmen nationals were engaged in various fields in the two respective countries and this in itself was a proof of existing bilateral cordial relations.

In recent years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has made great efforts to hold commemoration services for the great poet Makhtum Qoli, he said. Akayev added, The Turkmen and Iranian heads of state in their recent meetings in Kazakhstan have emphasized on the completion of a monument of the great poet, who not only belongs to Turkmenistan but to all countries of the world.

The construction of Makhtum Qoli's monument was started four years ago. The Turkmen delegation returned home through the Karand border on Friday and was seen off by the officials of Golestan Province.