Speaking to reporters upon his arrival in Istanbul on Saturday, Zarif said Iran seeks to forge the highest level of economic relations with Turkey after the implementation of a nuclear agreement, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached between Tehran and six world powers on July 14, 2015.

On January 16, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China -- plus Germany started to implement the JCPOA.

After the JCPOA went into effect, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the Security Council and the US were lifted. Iran, in return, has put some limitations on its nuclear activities.

The Iranian minister also said, “Given the common threats, exchanging views on issues and developments in the region is among the objectives of this trip.”

Zarif noted that during his stay, he plans to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

The visit comes after the Turkish premier paid an official two-day visit to Tehran at the head of a high-ranking politico-economic delegation on March 4. He exchanged views with Iranian officials on ways to bolster relations and regional crises, particularly the five-year-old conflict in Syria.

Tehran and Ankara have different views on the war in the Arab country. Despite their differences, the two sides have largely maintained diplomatic relations.

Turkey backs militants and insists that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should not be part of the Arab country’s future. Iran says the decision on Assad’s fate is up to the Syrian people and supports the Syrian army and its allies fighting militants.

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