Azerbaijan, Baku, July 3 / Trend T. Konyayeva /
Turkey will continue to fulfill all commitments on the Tehran agreement, despite the freezing of the negotiating process by Iran and further relations between the West and Tehran, and will do its utmost to realize it, experts said.
"Turkey will not refuse from participating in a tripartite agreement in any case, because it raises its status, regardless of how Iran will develop relations with the West," president of the Russian Institute for Middle Eastern Studies Yevgeny Satanovsky told Trend via -email.
According to the Turkish state news agency Anadolu, earlier this week the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin said at a press conference in Ankara that if Iran does not sit at the negotiating table, we will find ourselves in a worse position this time next year. "President Ahmadinejad mentioned August, but we would like the talks to start earlier," he said.
Earlier, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Tehran will "punish" the world powers for imposing of the new sanctions, freezing all negotiations on the nuclear issue for two months (by late August), and put forward some conditions to resume the negotiating process.
Satanovsky said that Turkey demonstrates independence in relations with Iran and willingness to sacrifice a large proportion of "confidence" in U.S-Turkish relations and the whole complex of the Turkish-Israeli relations in favor of the alliance Ankara-Tehran.
"The tripartite agreement is a part of the Iran-Turkey 'trade-off' for Iraq, which unties the hands of Turkey on the Kurdish issue and the transit of gas to the EU through Nabucco, which is strategically important for Turkey to achieve energy independence, " he said.
The tripartite agreement on the exchange of uranium was reached May 17 between Iran, Turkey and Brazil. The foreign ministers of these countries signed a draft agreement for the exchange of Tehran's low-enriched uranium (up to 3.5 percent) for highly enriched uranium (up to 20 percent) for the Tehran research reactor. According to the document, the exchange will be made on Turkish territory. Under the agreement, Iran is ready to deliver 1,2 tons of low enriched uranium to Turkey to get 120 kilograms of nuclear fuel.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin confirmed his words and told Trend over phone that Turkey intends to continue negotiations as soon as possible.
Turkish leading political analyst for the Middle East Husni al-Makhally also believes that Turkey will not refuse from participation in this agreement, even if Iran cancels it, and until the last minute tries to convince Western countries and Iran to ratify the document.
"Turkey will not change its position and continue to negotiate with all parties of the negotiation process, including Iran, Europe, the IAEA and the U.S., including ways to implement this agreement. But if the Western countries, as well as Russia and China preserve anti-Iranian stance, Ankara will be powerless, because this issue concerns Tehran and the UN Security Council member-countries, Makhally told Trend over phone from Istanbul.
The UN Security Council voted to approve a new resolution, which provides for tougher sanctions against Tehran in connection with its refusal to cease its uranium enrichment activity June 9. About 12 of 15 members of the UN Security Council voted for toughening of measures aimed at halting Iran's uranium enrichment program. Sanctions were supported by the five great powers (Russia, U.S, China, France, Great Britain) having the veto power. Turkey and Brazil voted against.
This is the fourth resolution adopted by the UN Security Council due to Tehran's refusal from complying with international requirements concerning the clarification of several issues of the world community over the Iranian nuclear program, including the existence of its military component.
The problem with inefficient tripartite agreement today is in the position of Western countries, Makhally said.
"Turkey fulfills all points of the agreement from the very beginning. Incidentally, it was signed at the request of Washington, the European countries and the IAEA. There is a dual approach in the position of the Western countries," he said.
The Turkish-Asian Center for Strategic Studies analyst (TASAM) Hilmi Ozev said that Turkey will not interrupt the dialogue with Iran so easily, because Turkey's relations with Iran during the rule of the AKP is one of the links of a great Turkish Middle East policy.
"The Iranian problem has an important place in Turkish foreign policy. Turkey establishes its relations with Iran, not basing upon the actions and decisions of Washington or the UN. They are not directed against other parties," Ozev told Trend over phone from Istanbul.
Turkey is trying not to violate international principles concerning Iran's nuclear program. So, if any legal violations are observed, given Iran's refusal from negotiating, then Turkey can take a step back, but it will be a tactical move rather than strategic, he said.
U. Sadikhova contributed to the article.