Iranian President Visits Turkey In Bid To Improve Economic Ties

Iranian President Hassan Rohani visited Turkey on June 9 in an effort to improve economic ties.

Rohani met with Turkish President Andullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Rohani's landmark visit comes with relations between Iran and Turkey strained over the conflict in Syria.

Ankara is backing the armed opposition, while Tehran is a key supporter of President Bashar al-Assad.

Rohani said at a press conference after his talks that he sent his congratulations to Assad on his reelection last week. Turkey has described the election as "null and void."

Rohani also said that Turkey and Iran had agreed to work together to stop extremism and bloodshed in the Middle East.

Based on reporting by AFP and dpa