TEHRAN -- As the United States is preparing itself to dethrone Saddam Hussein of Iraq, Iran, though a neighbor of Iraq, has not given up its efforts to boost regional cooperation at this sensitive juncture.

Two foreign delegations are currently in Iran, while Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi on Saturday met with Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov in Ashkhabad and discussed the two countries' "big joint projects" in the energy field and their cooperation on the Caspian Sea.

India's Minister of State for External Affairs, Digvijay Singh, arrived in Tehran Saturday afternoon on a three-day official visit. Also a Parliamentary Friendship Group from Yemen arrived in Tehran to discuss bilateral and regional issues.

Touching the subjects he discussed with Niyazov, Foreign Minister Kharrazi told reporters after the meeting that "issues of mutual interest, especially their big joint projects, were discussed".

He cited the construction of a "friendship dam" as well as the two countries' cooperation in the gas sector as well as on the Caspian Sea among the topics under discussion.

Kharrazi described Turkmenistan as a stable country, saying the Islamic Republic was ready to bolster its ties with that country in all areas.

"Caspian Sea is among joint issues of interest between Iran and Turkmenistan and there is a favorable cooperation and coordination between the two countries in this area," he added.

The land-locked sea's carve-up is a bone of contention among its littoral states which have failed so far to work out a formula to exploit its resources.

Iran and Turkmenistan call for an equal division of the land-locked sea, while Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan say that it must be divided according to the size of the five countries' coastlines.

Kharrazi described the May 2002 summit of the five littoral states' presidents, held in Ashkhabad, as the "turning point" in their cooperation over the Caspian Sea and called for further consultations in this regard.

There exist enormous fields in energy, agriculture, transit and trade sectors to expand ties between Tehran and Ashkhabad, the Iranian minister said.

Kharrazi said he was satisfied with the pace of growing ties between the two countries.

He also expressed hope that the two countries would accelerate implementation of their agreements on a facile trade exchange and easing red tape.

Niyazov, for his part, stressed the need to strengthen cooperation between Tehran and Ashkhabad in all fields and to expedite the implementation of their earlier accords.

The Turkmen President cited potentials for expansion of the two countries' relations in all areas and reiterated Ashkhabad's readiness to activate the two sides' joint economic commissions and to strengthen their cooperation on the Caspian Sea.

Kharrazi arrived in Ashkhabad on Saturday at the head of a political and economic delegation for a one-day visit.

India's Minister of State for External Affairs, Digvijay Singh, arrived in Tehran Saturday afternoon on a three-day official visit.

Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs told IRNA that Singh is leading a four-member delegation including director in Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan affairs, Arun Singh.

During the visit, the Indian delegation will discuss the route to Afghanistan through Iran's southern Chahbahar Port among other issues with Iranian authorities, the sources added.

The Indian delegation will also participate in a trilateral meet between India, Afghanistan and Iran.

India is keen to develop the facilities in Iran's Chahbahar Port for transit route to Afghanistan and in this context, it has decided to build a road from Zaranj in Afghanistan near the Iranian border to Dilaram point on the Kabul-Kandahar-Herat road.

Zabul-Zaranj-Dilaram route which is connecting Iran's Sistan Baluchestan Province to Nimruz, Farah, Helmand and Kandahar provinces in Afghanistan is the new transit route between Iran and Afghanistan.

This transit route, which will be operative soon, has many privileges. It will shorten the distance between Iran and Afghanistan's southern provinces by 800km.