Iranian President’s Envoy, Turkish FM Discuss Closer Ties
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian president’s Chief of Staff, Mahmoud Vaezi, and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu exchanged views about a host of topics, ranging from the latest developments in the region to bilateral relations between the two countries.
In the meeting held in Ankara on Thursday, Vaezi praised the growing relations between the Islamic Republic and Turkey in all areas and said the two countries’ presidents have developed a good roadmap to reach the goal of $30 million worth of annual bilateral trade.
He further hailed the Turkish officials’ stance on US sanction against Iran following the US exit from the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and said the European Union (EU) member states are resolved to save the JCPOA.
Vaezi also pointed to the country’s economic ties with Turkey and said, “We welcome the willingness of Turkish businessmen to trade and invest in Iran and we should strive to overcome obstacles on both sides.”
Cavusoglu, for his part, denounced US sanctions and pressures against Iran as unacceptable and said such measures can jeopardize regional peace.
“We have explicitly declared that we will not implement the recent unilateral sanctions against Iran,” the Turkish top diplomat said, adding, “US sanctions against the two interior ministers of Turkey are also futile and we believe that the issues can be resolved through diplomacy.”
In his one-day visit to Turkey, the Iranian president’s chief of staff held separate meetings with the county’s high-ranking officials and handed over Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s written message to his counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Iran and Turkey have ramped up efforts in recent years to boost bilateral trade, setting a $30-billion annual trade target and signing several agreements to enhance cooperation in various areas.
Turkey is one of Iran’s major trading partners in the region which has come under pressure from Washington to stop working with Tehran under a fresh wave of US anti-Iran sanctions.
Turkey has emphasized that the US demands to stop purchasing oil and gas from Iran would go unheeded by Ankara.
In comments on June 27, Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said, “The decisions taken by the United States on this issue are not binding for us,” adding that Turkey would only fall in line behind a United Nations resolution to the same effect.
