Iran, Turkey Seek Common Perspective to Resolve Regional Crises

Turkey and Iran must develop a "common perspective" in order to resolve crises embroiling the region, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said after talks with Iranian President Hassan Rowhani in Tehran on Saturday.

    Davutoglu said they both supported a tenuous week-old ceasefire in Syria, and expressed hope that it would boost progress toward ending the five-year-old war when peace talks resume in Geneva on Wednesday. "We, Turkey and Iran, are considering that stopping the bloodshed will provide an important basis for political negotiations," Davutoglu said of the ceasefire, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency. 

    For his part, Rowhani said that cooperation with the Turkish government was essential to combating the threat of terrorism. Iran and Turkey "must strengthen the foundations for peace and stability in the region through bilateral cooperation and focusing on the fight against terrorism as a common enemy," Rowhani said, according to Iran's Press TV. 

    The two sides also discussed trade relations. The removal of the sanctions means the two neighbors can easily exceed their previous trade target of $30 billion annually, Davutoglu said. "The main obstacle that prevented us from reaching our goal were the sanctions. Being free of those, means we can easily surpass our goal of $30 billion," Davutoglu said, adding he hoped to encourage mutual direct investment. 

    Trade between the two nations was $9.7 billion in 2015, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute. Turkey has trailed other European countries eager to tap into Iran's $400 billion economy after world powers, led by the United States, reached an agreement with Tehran last year that seeks to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. 

    Turkey mainly sells machinery, vehicles and iron and steel products to Iran. Oil and natural gas make up 90 percent of Iranian exports to Turkey, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. Turkey will serve as a key transit route for Iranian energy supplies to Europe and wants to integrate high-speed rail projects to connect ports on its Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts with Iran, Davutoglu said.

Source: QNA