Iran FM says Turkey, Iran to implement strategic cooperation plan soon

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
17 Jan 23:34

Over the past few days, the Iranian diplomat has traveled to a number of countries, including Lebanon and Syria, where he recently met with high-ranking officials and heads of state.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, left, and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu speak at a joint press conference after their talks in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023 (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Tuesday that Turkey and Iran are planning to implement a comprehensive strategic cooperation plan in the near future.

"One of the main topics of our conversation was the focus on the speedy implementation of a comprehensive plan of strategic cooperation between Iran and Turkey," Amir-Abdollahian said during a joint press conference with Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

The Iranian official added that he discussed several topics with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, including bilateral cooperation in security and counter-terrorism, and the scheduling for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's upcoming visit to Turkey.

According to Cavusoglu, the removal of barriers to Iranian gas supply to Turkey would be a joint effort between Ankara and Tehran.

"Iran is one of our gas suppliers. Unfortunately, for the second year now, there are problems during the winter months. The supplies, which were in the amount of 30 billion cubic meters, are now six [billion cubic meters]. Therefore, we have decided that if this is a technical failure, we are ready to do our part to solve it. Such a request was also made at a meeting with President [Recep Tayyip Erdogan]," Cavusoglu told the joint press conference.

Over the past few days, the Iranian diplomat has traveled to a number of countries, including Lebanon and Syria, where he recently met with high-ranking officials and heads of state.

During his trip in Lebanon, Amirabdollahian met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, among others.

During his meetings, he confirmed Tehran's readiness to "supply Lebanon with fuel and rehabilitate its electric power plants based on an agreement with the government."

Then on January 14, the diplomat said during a meeting with President Bashar Al-Assad in the Syrian capital the Islamic Republic of Iran sees the security and progress of Syria as its own security and progress, and it will continue strongly supporting Damascus.

The visit to Ankara comes in light of efforts to reconcile Turkey and Syria over their dispute at the border.

On December 15, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had proposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin a prospective meeting between the presidents of Syria, Turkey, and Russia preceded by a meeting of the chiefs of security apparatuses and defense ministers.

But Syria has so far shown signs of prudence to the peace process when on January 12, Syrian President Bashar el-Assad said that any rapprochement with Ankara must lead to the end of the Turkish occupation in Syria.

Moreover, high-ranking Syrian sources told Al Mayadeen last Thursday that "the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has electoral goals regarding the rapprochement with the Syrian leadership," and that "Damascus is not interested in offering them this card."

Besides the fact that Turkey illegally occupies several parts of northern Syria and has a number of military bases set up in the area, the Turkish government also backs local militias that fight against the Syrian government.