All ties with 'Israel' must be severed: Raisi from Ankara

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
24 Jan 2024 21:46
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Erdogan and Raisi agree on the need to contain the aggression against Gaza and to fight terrorism in the region.

President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey at the Presidential Complex, Ankara, January 24 2024 (AP)

In a joint press conference held in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi pledged to work together to contain the escalating violence perpetrated by "Israel" against Gaza: emphasizing the importance of preventing the conflict from spreading throughout the region.

The meeting marked Raisi's first official visit to Turkey since his election in 2021. The trip has been long anticipated but faced delays due to the intensification of the aggression against Gaza and the recent terrorist bombings in Iran that resulted in 89 deaths.

"We agreed on the importance of avoiding steps that would further threaten the security and stability of our region," Erdogan said at the joint press conference.

Furthermore, Erdogan highlighted the shared commitment to contain the aggression against Gaza and intensify the fight against terrorism.

A notable point of disagreement emerged as Rasis stressed that political and economic relations "with the Zionist regime must be severed and a firm stance taken against it," indirectly referencing Turkey's refusal to do so.

"We must strive to establish a more just world order," The Iranian President said.

Expressing optimism, Raisi asserted that the Palestinians in Gaza had already achieved a victory in the war waged by the Israelis against it, having endured over 100 days of fighting.

"The United Nations has lost its effectiveness in this matter and has gone to the sidelines,” President Raeisi said at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Ankara on Wednesday.

The scope of war is now wider; thus risk of expanded war is up: Iran's F

The likelihood of triggering a broader regional war in the Middle East has increased now that the scope of war has become wider, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said earlier this week.

In an exclusive interview with Martha Raddatz, ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent, Iran's top diplomat said, "The scope of the war has become wider. This means that the danger of having a wider war in the region has gone up."

Elsewhere in his remarks, he attributed the escalating tensions to the United States and "Israel".

"If the U.S. today stops its backing -- logistical and weapons, political and media support -- of the genocidal war launched by Israel, then I can assure you that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu will not survive for 10 minutes," he affirmed. "So the key to solving the problem is in Washington before it is in Tel Aviv."

Amir-Abdollahian further stated that Hamas is viewed as a Palestinian liberation group standing in the face of an occupation.

When questioned about Iran's support for Yemen's Ansar Allah by Raddatz, Amir-Abdollahian rejected the accusations and accused the US military of falsifying information. This refers to the reports presented by the Pentagon, which claimed to expose Iran's arms trafficking network supporting Ansar Allah.