Iranian President to pay official visits to Turkey, Syria: FM
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani reveals that President Ebrahim Raisi will have official visits to Syria and Turkey.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi listen to their countries' national anthem during the welcoming ceremony at the Saadabad palace, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, July 19, 2022 (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that President Ebrahim Raisi will be visiting Turkey and Syria.
"Upon invitation, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, is planning trips to Syria and Turkey," spokesman Nasser Kanaani said at a press conference, as quoted by the IRNA news agency.
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad, discussed over the phone bilateral relations.
Tehran played a significant role in supporting Syria, its territorial integrity, and the process of political settlement of the Syrian crisis, and these efforts were recognized by Russia and Turkey, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said earlier this month.
A meeting between the Turkish, Syrian and Russian presidents has been scheduled, but not for January, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in the final days of December.
The Russian, Syrian, and Turkish defense ministers held previous talks in December in the Russian capital, Moscow, to discuss means of resolving the Syrian crisis, the former's defense ministry said.
A Turkish member of parliament from the Turkish Justice and Development Party (AKP) stated to Sputnik at the end of December that the Syrian and Turkish ministers are expected to hold the next round of talks in Ankara and Damascus in the upcoming year.
"It is definitely reasonable to think that contacts between Turkey and Syria will continue in 2023. The second meeting may be held in Ankara, the next one in Damascus," Orhan Miroglu said, noting that the meetings will break down some barriers between the two countries.
Miroglu added that Iran, "will be given a seat at the table," however so far it is not yet clear whether the Islamic Republic will agree.
Last month, Turkey ramped up its military preparations after an explosion in Istanbul, which Kurdish militants were held accountable for, though denied involvement. Ankara then launched strikes against what it claimed to be YPG targets, and the president gave the possibility of a coming-ground offensive.
