The interim Iranian foreign minister says Iran and Turkey are strengthening bonds to promote regional stability and serve mutual interests.

Ali Bagheri Kani made the remarks in a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the sidelines of an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers of the Developing Eight (D-8) Organization for Economic Cooperation on Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Saturday.

He said Iran and Turkey are facing Israel as a common enemy and therefore the expansion of mutual ties will not only be beneficial to the two countries but will promote stability in the region.

He reaffirmed Iran’s firm determination to further boost ties with Turkey and implement the agreements previously signed by the two countries’ officials, particularly in the economic and trade sectors.

Pointing to Israel’s mounting crimes in Gaza, the Iranian interim foreign minister urged Muslim countries to hold close consultations on ways to provide the people of Palestine with more political and legal support.

Bagheri Kani hailed Istanbul’s move to host the D-8 extraordinary meeting and noted that the Iranian delegation’s participation showed the country’s serious heed to the ongoing developments in Palestine and Turkey’s stance in this regard.

The Turkish foreign minister, for his part, praised Iran’s stance on the need to support the Palestinian people and its active presence in the political and regional meetings.

Fidan welcomed further promotion of cooperation among the countries in the region, saying Tehran and Ankara should strengthen cooperation, particularly in the economic and energy fields and the fight against terrorism.

At least 36,801 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed and 83,680 people have been wounded in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip over the past eight months.

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