NOURNEWS- Today’s evening, Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, who has traveled to Tehran to meet and talk with Iranian officials, met and talked with Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the foreign minister of Iran.
The foreign ministers of Iran and Turkey participated in a joint press conference after the said meeting at the building of foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Amir-Abdollahian said: “Today, we had fruitful talks with Turkey’s FM regarding the follow-up of the agreements of the upcoming meeting between the presidents of the two countries.” Regarding all aspects of bilateral cooperation, detailed discussions were held between Iranian and Turkish party.
Iran's FM furthermore added: “the implementation of the comprehensive cooperation program between Tehran and Ankara, which was carried out during Mr. Erdoğan's visit to Tehran, was discussed during the meeting, and the agreements of the two presidents are on the right track. Two parties agree that existing mechanisms between the two countries should be reactivated in various fields and actions should be taken to remove obstacles through specialized meetings.”
Amir-Abdollahian also talked about the trade relations between the two countries and said: “The target volume of trade between the two countries is 30 billion euros. The two delegations have reached good agreements during Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy's visits to Ankara. Today, Iran has fully emphasized on the said agreements. Tehran and Ankara agree on updating the preferential trade document and the transit routes in the region are complementary between Iran and Turkey and are not a factor of competition but rather, they are a factor of strengthening Iran-Turkey relations.”
Iran’s FM continued: “I believe that in addition to various bilateral issues, the two countries should be able to have better cooperation in consular issues due to the large traffic and bilateral trips of nationals. Tomorrow, the meeting of the convict transfer committee will be held as a jointly meeting in Ankara. I hope that two countries will cooperate with the transfer of criminals.”
Amir-Abdollahian also added: “Iran has also announced its determination for signing the commercial document. The agricultural cooperation of the two countries has been such that we have an agricultural committee between the two countries. Tehran has agreed to develop the free zone on the common border and connect to Eurasia. Regarding the opening of new border crossings, we have discussed with our dear colleagues in Turkey since last year that in addition to the Sarisu trans-boundary market, other markets should be included in the agenda, accordingly, Iran has received offers from Turkey.”
Iran’s FM further said: “In this round of negotiations, Iran has emphasized on the existing issues regarding water. The two countries have agreed that a joint technical committee will travel to Tehran in the near future. Iran believes that the fair use of juniper water must be taken into account and the water rights, should be fully respected, and Mr. Fidan will issue the necessary orders in the course of discussions and negotiations.”
He added: “The two parties have also discussed some regional issues, such as the current issues regarding the Islamic world. The need for taking active measures for dealing with Islamophobia and further prevention of any insults to the Holy Quran were among the discussed topics. Also, the issue of Palestine as a priority of the countries in the region was one of the other topics of this meeting. Iran’s FM emphasized that the presence of the Zionist regime has not resulted in anything other than sedition among Muslims. Regarding the Caucasus issue, Iran believes that the time has come to progress from tension to peace. In the past conversation with Mr. Ilham Aliyev, good agreements were made in this regard. Iran never accepts any geopolitical changes in the region.”
Iran’s FM: “During the talks, the two parties discussed the issue of Syria and Turkey's concerns regarding this country. While emphasizing on the sovereignty of the countries, Iran believes that the concerns of Turkey and Syria should lead to a cooperation of the two countries through diplomacy. While considering the capacity of Iran’s friendly relations with Damascus and in the quadrilateral meetings, Iran will continue its efforts for resolving the concerns of our brothers in Turkey. Once again, I witnessed positive ideas from Mr. Fidan regarding the common border and the fight against terrorism and the return of Syrian refugees to their own country. I have talked with Mr. Fidan about the situation in Ukraine, Afghanistan and the tripartite formats that can be formed. While considering Riyadh's desire for holding a tripartite meeting between Tehran-Riyadh and Ankara with the aim of focusing on economic cooperation, Iran can take action in this field.”
In response to a question about agreements regarding water rights, Iran’s FM said: “This was two countries’ common issue. Since last year, Tehran and Ankara have agreed on the formation of a technical committee regarding water rights, and a delegation of Iranian experts traveled to Turkey and good discussions were held. Today, the two countries also discussed the continuation of these talks and Turkey's attention to the Aras River issues and customary water transfer, and Iran has agreed to continue the said talks in the near future. I thank the Turkish authorities for their special attention in this matter.”
Turkey’s FM said in this press conference: “Today, I have visited Iran for the first time as the foreign minister of Turkey. I thank Mr. Amir-Abdollahian for his hospitality. There are historical ties between Iran and Turkey, the two countries live in complete peace with each other. In the recent earthquake in Turkey, the two countries showed their solidarity once again and Turkey is grateful for Iran’s help. Changes and social crises increase the importance of our relationships.”
Mr. Fidan continued: “In the framework of the eighth meeting of the Iran-Turkey Strategic Council, we will receive Mr. Raisi in Turkey in the coming days.”
Turkish Foreign Minister said: “We have discussed matters such as; The security of the common border between the two countries, fight against terrorism, transportation, etc. Turkey has raised its sensitivities regarding terrorism. We also discussed the needed steps and actions for increasing the volume of trade and business between the two countries. We discussed the position of our countries in border trade, agriculture and transportation. Furthermore, we also talked about cooperation in the energy issue, and I hope we will solve the issues through common understanding.”
Turkey’s FM added: “Iran and Turkey are two powerful countries in the region and this matter increases our responsibility. Regarding the issue of Syria, we examined what can be done more deeply and more comprehensively. We have clear expectations from Syria, we want to return Syrian citizens to their country in complete safety. In the fight against terrorism and the PKK, Turkey wants to have more cooperation with Syria, I am sure that Syria’s cooperation is one of the necessities for this country. Iranian and Turkish parties have talked about other security, stability and development of Iraq, about the fight against terrorism and Islamophobia.”
Turkish Foreign Minister continued: “In Europe, there are deliberate attacks against Islamic values. The two parties have discussed this issue. Turkey is also pleased with the agreement reached between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, as powerful countries of the region, are accountable countries in the region. The two countries have also talked about JCPOA and Turkey has received the necessary information.”
In response to a question about developments in Kirkuk, Turkey’s FM said: "In terms of ethnicity and religion, Kirkuk is a small example of Iraq, and stability in this region means stability in Iraq. In Iraq, the established government has created stability in the country, and Turkey also supports the actions of the Iraq’s Prime Minister. During such a circumstance and period, occurred incidents in Kirkuk are a cause of concern of Turkey. Turkey has raised its opinions and shared them with the Iraqi authorities. The existence of PKK has also increased and Turkey wants Iraq to end PKK’s existence in Kirkuk. Protecting the interests of our Turkish compatriots in Kirkuk is one of the priorities of Turkey’s foreign policy, and Turkey will always defend their rights."
NOURNEWS