FOREIGN MINISTERS OF ANKARA AND TEHRAN VOW CLOSER TIES

Mon 15 November 2021:

Turkey’s and Iran’s senior diplomats conducted extensive talks in Tehran on Monday, focused on “long-term cooperation” between the two countries based on a “new roadmap.”

The neighbours have historically close economic relations but occasionally find themselves on opposite sides of regional conflicts, including in Syria.

Turkey wants to improve its deep-rooted relations with Iran and hold the seventh meeting of the high-level cooperation council between the two countries this year, Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a press meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

“Our delegations will work to determine a roadmap for a long-term comprehensive cooperation upon Iran’s proposal,” Cavusoglu said, adding that they hoped to sign these agreements before the end of the summit if they are completed in time.

Cavusoglu also said that they discussed security issues such as terrorism, migration, and human smuggling with his Iranian counterpart.

The two sides “should be ready to increase their relations from the current level to an overall cooperation,” a statement from Iran’s presidency said.

This should be done “by finalising the roadmap for strengthening collaborations, which is on the agenda of both countries,” it said.

On Twitter, Cavusoglu said he and Raisi “discussed our bilateral relations, including trade, investments and (the) fight against terrorism” as well as the “latest developments in our region”.

They “reaffirmed our mutual will to further develop our relations,” the minister added.

Earlier in the day Cavusoglu and Amir-Abdollahian held a joint press conference after they met for more than an hour.

“Developments in Afghanistan, the necessity of developing stability, security and tranquility in western Asia, the attention brought to the regional policy of the two countries,” were among the topics, Amir-Abdollahian told reporters.

Ankara is building a wall along its eastern border with Iran. One function will be to keep out Afghans trying to use the route to enter Europe.

From Tehran, Cavusoglu travelled to politically and economically fragile Lebanon, where the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah is backed by Iran. The minister said the two visits were not planned at the same time.

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