Turkey and Iran plan to set up a joint industrial zone in a border area, Press TV reported Saturday.

Turkish Industry and Trade Minister Nihat Ergun, who met with Iran's Industry Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian in Ankara on Friday, said the two sides had agreed to form a committee to discuss the establishment of the joint industrial area to boost economic cooperation.

''A technical committee consisting of 10 persons from each side has been established. The committee will work on the establishment of an industrial zone on the joint border, '' ILNA news agency quoted Erdun as saying.

Another Turkish government official, State Minister Zafer Caglayan, said that Turkey's exports to Iran reached $1.7 billion in the first 11 months of 2009.

He said bilateral trade had grown to $10 billion in the past eight years.

TEHRAN/ANKARA, January 9 (RIA Novosti)