TEHRAN- Iran’s Minister of Agriculture, referring to his trip to Turkey, announced an agreement to expand agricultural and border cooperation between the two countries.

According to IRNA, Gholamreza Nouri, speaking at the Bazargan border crossing and in a conversation with reporters, detailed his recent trip to Turkey and participation in the meeting of Agriculture Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Kyrgyzstan, stating: "During this multi-day trip, extensive meetings were held with Turkish officials, particularly the Minister of Agriculture."

He added: "Given the significant increase in Iran-Turkey agricultural relations over the past year, both sides emphasized the continuation of this trend and greater utilization of existing capacities. The Turkish side also declared its full readiness to expand cooperation."

Referring to his meetings with the governors of Turkey's Agri and Igdir provinces during this trip, he said: "In joint meetings with officials of these two provinces, issues related to border and provincial cooperation were examined."

The Minister of Agriculture Jihad stated: "In these meetings, it was announced that measures would soon be taken to develop inter-provincial relations through free trade zones, and the Turkish side declared its readiness to cooperate in this area."

Nouri also reported that both sides emphasized the establishment of a joint free zone, saying: "This issue was seriously emphasized both in meetings with Turkish national officials and in meetings with border province governors."

Referring to the government's policies on developing border relations, he added: "The President places special emphasis on strengthening interactions between border provinces and neighboring countries, and the necessary authorities have been delegated to the provinces in this regard, which can help facilitate relations and develop cooperation, including border marketplaces."

According to a report released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), Turkey was the third top destination of Iran’s non-oil products in the past Iranian calendar year 1404 (ended on March 20).

In early December 2025, a Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (TCCIMA) delegation, visiting the Plast Eurasia 2025 exhibition in Istanbul, met with a group of board members and managers of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce.

In this meeting, both sides, referring to the longstanding friendly, cultural, and economic relations between Iran and Turkey, emphasized strengthening connections through the exchange of trade delegations, participation in exhibitions, and joint investment.

Munur Ustun, a member of the executive board of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, referring to the memorandum of understanding signed between the two chambers last year, described the presence of Iranian companies in Turkey and specialized exhibitions as valuable and stated: “The current volume of trade between the two countries falls short of the existing potential.”

He then addressed the impact of global economic developments and the constraints caused by sanctions, and emphasizing the need to facilitate the foreign trade environment and create a secure path for private sector cooperation, said that direct meetings between merchants are an important step to compensate for shortcomings.

Addressing the meeting, Hervik Yarijaniyan, head of the TCCIMA Industry and Mining Committee, stated that with over 47,000 members, this chamber has extensive capacity for cooperation with Turkish economic actors, adding: “The social, political, and cultural relations between the two countries are at a high level, but the level of trade exchange does not correspond with these realities. Therefore, through the exchange of trade delegations, participation in exhibitions, and joint investment, cooperation between the two countries can be strengthened.”

He also invited the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce to travel to Tehran as a trade delegation to further expand the grounds for joint cooperation.

Further in his remarks in the interview by the press in Bazargan border crossing on April 17, Iranian Agriculture Minister said: "At the meeting of Agriculture Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization issues related to the agricultural sector of member countries were discussed and examined, especially given that over 40% of the world's population is members of this organization, and food security was one of the main focuses of this summit."

He also noted: “On the sidelines of this summit, discussions were held with representatives of 12 countries and organizations, all of which condemned the aggression of the United States and the Israeli regime against our country and declared their support for the people, government, and armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

MA