MESOP : President Rouhani hails visit to Turkey as ‘turning point’

Accompanied by a number of Iranian cabinet ministers and high-ranking officials, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has become the first Iranian leader to pay an official visit Monday to Turkey in 18 years.Turkish president Abdullah Gul greeted his counterpart with a parade at Ankara’s Cankaya Palace, where the two leaders gathered for a joint press conference after meeting privately.”Instabilities exist in our region … Iran and Turkey are determined to increase their cooperation to establish stability in the region,” Rouhani said after talks with Gul.

“The fight against violence, extremism, sectarian conflicts and terrorism is Iran’s major objective,” he added. Gul said that Syria was discussed during his meeting with Rouhani, without giving any details. It was unclear whether the two countries were approaching any concrete steps to help scale down a conflict that holds perils for both. In a press conference at the airport in Tehran before his departure for Ankara Rouhani had said that relations between Turkey and Iran are critical to the region,

Rouhani said his meetings with Turkish officials will focus on energy relations, particularly on oil, natural gas and electricity, noting that the two countries will also sign agreements regarding economic relations, politics, culture, transportation and security. Rouhani stressed that Turkey is important regionally, adding he was glad that Iran and Turkey had enjoyed political and economic cooperation for many years.Turkey and Iran signed a joint political declaration establishing a High-Level Cooperation Council during Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Iran in January.