Turkish Prime Minister visits Teheran to forge economic ties despite Iranian sanctions and warning from Washington; find common ground on Syria
By JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERSTurkish PM Erdogan in Iran.(photo credit: REUTERS)
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was in Iran to forge economic ties on Tuesday where he was quoted by Turkish media saying that Iran "feels like a second home."Meanwhile, speaking during a news conference with Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, Erdogan said of economic ties with Iran: "A preferential commercial agreement was of utmost importance. I am very pleased to sign it."According to Reuters News Agency, Turkey and Iran were able to find common ground countering Al-Qaida in Syria with Erdogen announcing, " We reached an agreement with Iran to fight terrorism ."The Iranian Vice President also communicated a strong desire to strengthen ties between Tehran and Ankara saying, "We have taken concrete decisions to bolster bilateral relations between the two countries. We have reached a nice agreement on natural gas exports. We believe that the visit by the Turkish prime minister will be cornerstone in bilateral relations and it will help improve ties between the two countries."However, regarding Turkey bypassing sanctions against Iran, foreign media has quoted the US Secretary of Terrorism David Cohen as warning that, “Iran is not open for business … Businesses interested in engaging in Iran really should hold off."Erdogan's visit to Iran follows an increase in communications between the two country's since Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's election in June. Rouhani reportedly plans to visit Turkey for continued talks in February.(Contribution by Yasser Okbi)
