Iranian, Turkish Presidents Discuss Bilateral, Regional Issues
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, exchanged views on a range of issues, including ways to promote Tehran-Ankara ties in all areas and the latest developments in the Middle East region.
In a telephone conversation on Thursday, President Rouhani said the Islamic Republic of Iran believes that its relations with Turkey should reach a strategic level in all fields.
He further pointed to regional developments and said, “Numerous threats in the region are endangering the interests of both Iran and Turkey and other Muslim countries.”
“Given the very close viewpoints of the two countries on regional and international issues, the political cooperation and consultations should continue,” Rouhani added.
The Iranian president further stressed the need to boost regional cooperation among Iran, Turkey, and Russia and welcomed an upcoming meeting in Istanbul between the three countries’ presidents on the Syrian crisis.
Erdogan, for his part, hailed a recent conference in Russia’ Sochi on the settlement of the conflicts in Syria and invited Rouhani to participate in the forthcoming meeting in Istanbul.
Iran and Turkey have ramped up efforts to boost bilateral trade since the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a lasting nuclear deal between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France, and Germany) that came into force in January 2016.
The two neighbors, together with Russia, have also played an active role in the Astana peace process to end a war that has gripped Syria since 2011.
