President: Iran-South Korea trade to hit $18bn annually

President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that Iran and South Korea are to increase volume of commercial transactions three folds to reach 18 billion dollars from six billion dollars at present.

Addressing a joint press conference with South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday, President Rouhani said, 'Today 19 documents were signed in the presence of presidents of the two countries and many other documents will be inked by their private sectors', according to IRNA News Agency on Monday.

On his talks with the South Korean counterpart, President Rouhani said as far as important relations between the two countries and the region are concerned, security of the Korean peninsula and the Middle East is of great importance to the two sides.'

'We want peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and principally, we oppose production of any weapons of mass destruction'

He noted, 'Our (Iran's) call is a world free from weapons of mass destruction, especially clearing the Korean peninsula and the Middle East from any destructive or nuclear weapons.'

On other pivots of talks with the South Korean counterpart, President Rouhani said peace and stability in the Middle East, end of war in Yemen, the Yemeni-Yemeni talks for restoration of security to the country, Iraqi government's campaign against terrorism and helping the government end occupation of northern Iraq and Syria by terrorist groups were other issues discussed in the meeting.
He said relations between Iran and South Korea as two important countries in the Middle East and East Asia is of high importance. 

'In the past 54 years, relations between the two countries have always been good despite ups and downs.'

Recalling age-old Iranian and South Korea civilizations, Rouhani said the two nations and private sectors of the two countries are quite familiar with each other.

The Iranian Chief Executive said during visit of the South Korean President to Iran key agreements were reached, the most important of which being turning commercial relations between the two countries into strong and strategic economic relations.