The foreign ministry spokesperson said the massive turnout in the Turkish parliamentary election, held on Sunday, was a "great victory" for the Turkish government and nation.
"Conducting the election in a calm atmosphere with a turnout of eighty-six percent is a great victory for the Turkish government and people and is an indication of the maturity of the nation," Marzieh Afkham said in a statement on Tuesday.
Highlighting the "very close" and "friendly" Tehran-Ankara relations, she said Iran attaches importance to "the popular, peaceful Turkish election," expressing hope that it would help the neighboring country play a more effective role to help promote regional peace and stability.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is confident that the two countries will witness an expansion of bilateral ties in all fields in the near future."
Majlis Role
In a press conference on Wednesday, Afkham highlighted the role of parliament in helping the negotiators defend the rights of the nation in the nuclear talks with the major powers aiming to resolve a long-running dispute over Tehran's nuclear program.
Asked about a bill drafted by the lawmakers requiring the negotiating team to safeguard nuclear achievements in the talks, she said that "there is no question about the Majlis authority to examine and deal with national security issues."
"The bill is going through the stages before the floor vote. We have our own points to share with the (Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy) Committee and hope that the cooperation (between the government and parliament) will help protect national interests and strike a good nuclear deal."
Afkham reiterated Iran's stance in the talks that it is "willing to cooperate only within the framework of international regulations and not beyond it," IRNA reported.
She pointed to the Yemen crisis, saying, "Unfortunately, the Saudi-led coalition is expanding the scope of its aggression against Yemen every day and there have been heavy casualties and widespread devastation."
The diplomat denounced the moves by the Saudis to disrupt the process of aid delivery to the war-hit people, saying, "We have requested the responsible organizations to help facilitate efforts to provide food and fuel."
"Saudi Arabia is hindering such efforts, which has prompted protests from the relevant international organizations."
Pointing to a UN peace conference on Yemen scheduled to be held in Geneva on June 14, Afkham said, "Iran has always supported the idea of Yemeni talks (involving only Yemeni groups) … and it is ready to contribute to this process."
