Shi’ite Iran backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey supports the mainly Sunni Muslim opposition.
Advertisement
Davutoglu acknowledged on Saturday that Iran and Turkey differ on Syria, but said cooperation between the two was necessary to end the bloodshed there.
He made the comments while standing next to Iran’s Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri.
Ahmet Davutoglu who has come to Iran heading a delegation of investors and businesspeople said “Iran and Turkey complete each other and have high capacities and potentials for development of ties and considerable steps can be taken through joint investments in business and industry”. Jahangiri followed up Davutoglu’s remarks by saying, “We have our differences on some regional issues, but we are determined to manage the differences to reach stability in the region…”
The trade target comes after tensions rose between Turkey and Iran over the war in Syria after Ankara shot down a Russian fighter plane previous year.
He added, ‘So, we believe that regional problems should be solved by countries and nations of the region and undoubtedly, Iran-Turkey cooperation will play a constructive role in establishment of durable peace in the region’. The two countries also plan to sign several memorandums of understanding during his two-day stay in Tehran.
Reaping trade benefits from the easing of worldwide sanctions against Iran in January was also discussed.
The United States gave Boeing a license last month to hold talks with airlines in Iran, but said it would need additional USA approval to make sales as Iran remains subject to number of US restrictions. “Being free of those, means we can easily surpass our goal of $30 billion”.
Trade between the two nations was $9.7 billion in 2015, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute.
Advertisement
Despite their differences on Syria, Turkey and Iran have largely maintained cordial diplomatic relations over the years.
