TEHRAN – Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said on Saturday that Iran and Turkey are active in helping establish long-lasting security in the region.

“Turkey and Iran are two important countries in the region. We have friendly relations,” he told reporters after a meeting with Mustafa Stop, the Turkish parliament speaker.

Larijani was in Turkey to attend the 12th plenary of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly which started on December 13 and will run until December 18 in Antalya.

Before departure to Turkey, Larijani told reporters that the meeting will help promote economic relations among the countries.

“The Asian Parliamentary Assembly is an opportunity to hold consultations on improving economic relations and cooperation,” he said.

The Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) was born in 2006 at the Seventh Session of the Association of Asian Parliamentary for Peace (AAPP). In other words, the APA is the continuation of an organization that was established in 1999. The APA comprises, in 2007, of 42 Member Parliaments and 16 observers, according to the official website of the APA.

NA/PA