TEHRAN Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem on Sunday said the Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey will broaden their cooperation in political, economic and security fields in the future. Speaking in a program broadcast by Turkish state-owned TV, Cem underlined that Tehran and Ankara have entered a new phase of relations and that the ground has been paved for further economic cooperation between the two countries.

Referring to considerable increase in the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries, Cem noted that Iran and Turkey would enhance cooperation aimed at properly maintaining security at their borders and campaigning against drug trafficking. Touching on relations between Turkey and Zionist regime, Cem reiterated that his country has decided to take due notice of what is being done by Israel in the region.

He criticized Israel for tarnishing the Middle East peace process, saying that Israel creates obstacles in the way of Turkey's relations with Arab countries.