Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Friday that Iran, Russia, and Turkey, as three key powerbrokers, should engage in dialogue to contend with regional challenges.

Zarif made the remarks during a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara.

“Iran, Russia, and Turkey are key players in the region and need to engage in dialogue and cooperation.”

The one-day visit to Turkey of the senior Iranian diplomat comes weeks after the July abortive coup in Turkey and the meeting between Iranian and Russian presidents in Baku.
The meeting also comes after the visit to Russia of President Erdogan on August 9 in the Konstantin palace outside St. Petersburg.

Hinting at disagreements between the three countries over the Syrian crisis, Zarif said, “Even if there are any differences among regional countries, this can be ironed out via dialogue.”

Zarif says, “Even if there are any differences among regional countries, this can be ironed out via dialogue.”

The Turkish minister, for his turn, stressed, “The security and stability of Iran is Turkey’s security and stability and we believe this is the case with Iran, too.”

Cavusoglu also said, “The two countries should pool efforts to counter extremism and terrorist groups of ISIS and al-Nusra, and achieve enduring peace in Syria.”

Recently, Turkey has been adopting a more realistic policy in the region, starting with an apology call to Moscow, a thaw in bilateral ties after the shooting down of the Russian jet by the Turkish air force.

The country also learnt from the July coup which drew immediate condemnation messages from Tehran and Moscow even before it ended. This is while other countries including European and Arab ones were hesitant to send condemnation notes.

Source: news.az