Qadir Qiafeh made the remarks during a meeting on Tuesday with the board of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, arguing that preferential trade arrangements had become outdated and should give way to a comprehensive free trade framework. “Iran and Turkey are two nations with deep cultural and economic ties,” Qiafeh said, adding that closer cooperation between the neighboring countries was “not a choice but an unavoidable necessity.” He said Iran’s geopolitical and geoeconomic position, abundant natural resources, industrial capacity and skilled workforce made it a strategic economic partner for Turkey. Qiafeh noted that the leaders of the two countries had previously set a target of increasing bilateral trade to $30 billion within five years, describing that goal as achievable. He said the next step should be to raise the target to $50 billion. He also urged the two sides to revise the preferential trade agreement signed in 2015 as a precursor to establishing a free trade regime between Iran and Turkey.