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Ankara does not consider Iran as rival

Politics Materials 25 August 2015 14:01 (UTC +04:00)
Ankara has never regarded Iran as a rival, Turkish Ambassador to Tehran Reza Hakan Tekin said
Ankara does not consider Iran as rival

Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 25

By Khalid Kazimov -- Trend:

Ankara has never regarded Iran as a rival, Turkish Ambassador to Tehran Reza Hakan Tekin said.

"We consider Iran to be a friend. For Iran to grow economically powerful will make us glad," he said, Fars news agency reported August 25.

" Turkey is itself a powerful country and will not be worried to have powerful neighbors. We have no strategy aimed at having weak, underdeveloped neighbors."

He said crises in Syria and Iraq have created a lot of problems for Turkey as they have created two million refugees.

"This has created many problems for us, affecting our foreign trade in a negative way," he said, adding that it will benefit Turkey if Iran grows economically powerful and is domestically stable.

After the Islamic State (IS) attacked Syria and Iraq, many people in the areas fled to Turkey as a safe refuge, creating security issues for Ankara.

What is important is that in the new circumstances Iran tries to take steps to build trust with some countries, he noted.

If Iranians for example say that they have won and will implement their own policy in relation to the region it will benefit no country in the region, he said, adding that Turkey recognizes Iranian leaders to be wise enough to consider regional situations.

These remarks by Tekin refer to concerns that following Iran 's growing intimacy with world powers after the nuclear deal, the Islamic Republic will disregard the interests of its neighbors. Tehran however, has denied that outlook and says the deal is to benefit regional countries.

Edited by CN

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