Tehran, Iran, Sept. 11
By Mehdi Sepahvand – Trend:
Iran and Turkey are expected to further boost their diplomatic and military cooperation following recent exchange of visits between high-ranking officials, including a trip to Ankara by Iran’s Central Command Chief Mohammad Baqeri.
“This is a new atmosphere between the two countries where, seeing international and regional situations, they intend to use their capacities to work toward a synergy that would serve to establish peace and stability in the region,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi told a press conference in Tehran, Trend correspondent reported from the presser September 11.
“Negotiations between Iran and Turkey will continue with more strength and we hope that the two countries succeed in improving the existing level of cooperation,” the Iranian diplomat stated.
On August 21, Qassemi called a recent trip of General Baqeri to Turkey “exceptional and successful.”
The spokesman said that during a rare visit of the Islamic Republic's chief of CENTCOM to the NATO-member country, Turkish and Iranian military leaders held talks on major topics, including cooperation on the Syrian conflict and counterterrorism.
Turkey’s ties with Washington have recently been strained by the Unites States’ support of the Kurdish fighters in Syria. The visit of Gen. Baqeri may be viewed as the latest indicator of Ankara’s increasing cooperation with other powers, such as Iran and Russia.
Iran and Russia back Bashar Assad as president of Syria. Turkey used to cooperate with the opposing front, comprised of Syrian dissidents, Saudi Arabia, and the US.
However, in recent months Ankara has grown more welcoming of Iran and Russia’s position and the three countries continue to hold negotiations under the title of Astana talks to reach common grounds on the Syrian issue.
Official reports indicate that in an upcoming meeting within the Astana talks, the three countries expect to finalize their plans on cooperation to sustain and strengthen de-escalation zones in Syria.