Turkey plans to increase cooperation with Iran over Syria

Iranian minister Javad Zarif met with senior Turkish officials in Ankara on Friday for political dialogue, in the first official visit since the July 15 failed coup against President Erdogan.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab & agencies

12 August, 2016

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (L) welcomes his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) [Getty]

Iran’s foreign minister arrived in Ankara on Friday to hold talks with senior Turkish officials on regional issues, including cooperation between the two states in war-torn Syria.

Javad Zarif met with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu and is also expected to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to a statement issued before his arrival.

The officials discussed regional differences while maintaining that opposing views can be resolved by following a political dialogue.

This marks the first visit by an Iranian official since the July 15 failed coup in Turkey. Iran was among the first to express support for the democratically elected government.

Erdogan had visited Iran’s key ally, Russia just two days earlier.

Tehran and Moscow are Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's main allies in the over five-year civil war, putting them at loggerheads with Turkey.

While Tehran has given financial and military support to Assad, Turkey has repeatedly said his exit is the only way to find peace in Syria.