A Diplomatic Tour

Zarif met his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul. The two sides agreed to establish a higher council for comprehensive cooperation in various sectors including economy, transportation, and energy. Zarif stressed the significance of planned visit by Turkish prime minister to Iran in January and a visit by Iranian president to Turkey in February. In a joint press conference, the Iranian foreign minister also underlined the need for Turkey and Iran to work together independently.

Regarding Syria, Zarif said Iran is working with Turkey to resolve their differences over Syria and pave the way to reach a peaceful solution, which should definitely be agreed upon by the Syrian nation. He urged other countries to help the people of Syria to reach a consensus and end the violence there.

For his part, Turkish foreign minister welcomed the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 group in Geneva and said Ankara would support the agreement. He also said his country is willing to boost economic ties with Iran.

Zarif also held talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Zarif and Erdogan discussed a number of issues, such as the Turkish prime minister's plan to visit Iran as well as the upcoming meeting of the two country’s joint economic commission, which will be held in Turkey.

The backbone of Iran-Turkey relations has traditionally been tenacious and resilient. The Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Turkey today attests that bilateral and regional cooperation will continue to be sturdy regardless of all odds that pop up along the way.