In remarks made earlier upon his arrival in Ankara, Zarif had said, “Iran, Russia, and Turkey are considered important players in the region, and they need to engage in dialog and cooperation”.
Advertisement
Turkey on Friday vowed to cooperate with Iran on resolving the conflict in Syria, despite Tehran and Ankara so far taking opposing sides in a civil war that has lasted more than five years.
In a telephone conversation with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani shortly after the failed coup of mid-July in Turkey, Erdogan expressed his willingness to cooperate closely with Iran and Russian Federation “to settle regional crises and restore peace and stability to the region”.
For his part, President Rouhani noted he has no doubt that together with the terrorists, there are also “some superpowers” trying to destabilize things.
Fethullah Gulen, US-based Muslim cleric accused by Ankara of masterminding last month’s failed coup, said he would only hand himself over to Turkish authorities if an independent global investigative body first found him guilty.
“We have been in contact with the countries where they fled and are working on their extradition”, he said.
He said more talks were needed to resolve those differences.
“We believe that the era of bullying and coups is over and [these things] no longer have a place in our region”.
Zarif’s visit was the first meeting between top Iranian and Turkish officials since the July 15 failed coup attempt. “People’s choice and will can not be suppressed by a military group”, he was quoted by PressTV as saying.
Turkey has complained about a lack of support from its Western allies over the attempted coup.
“Everyone in the world knows who is behind this coup attempt”, he added.
Advertisement
The interview came ahead of Friday’s visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to the Turkish capital Ankara, where he will meet an array of senior Turkish officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
