Iranian, Turkish Presidents Pledge Partnership despite Syria Rift

Local Editor

Iran and Turkey on Monday pledged to work together to stop extremism and bloodshed in the Middle East despite them backing opposing forces in Syria's war.
"Iran and Turkey, the two important countries in the region, are determined to fight against extremism and terrorism," Iran's President Hassan Rouhani told a news conference in Ankara.

He said the instability in the region benefited neither the neighboring countries, nor the world, and said Turkey and Iran agreed to work together.

For his part, Turkish President Abdullah Gul commended Rouhani's policies since taking office in August last year, saying they were helping Iran open up to the world.
The diplomatic niceties though papered over a complex and often dysfunctional relationship between the two countries.

Rouhani has congratulated al-Assad on his re-election for a third seven-year term last week.

Turkey however blasted the elections as "null and void".

Rouhani's trip to Turkey, flanked by a crowded delegation of ministers and Iranian businessmen, saw 10 bilateral deals signed in several sectors including finance, tourism, culture and communications.

Iran and Turkey will also chair the first meeting of a high-level cooperation council, a mechanism Ankara has established with its neighbors to promote trade and regional integration.

The Iranian leader asserted his visit "will undoubtedly be a turning point in the two countries' relationship."
It was the first trip to Turkey by an Iranian president since former leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a "working" visit to Istanbul in 2008. The last official presidential visit from Iran to Turkey was in 1996 by Hashemi Rafsanjani.

That visit was marked by controversy when Rafsanjani refused to visit the mausoleum of modern Turkey's revered founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk -a routine practice for foreign heads of state.

Rouhani also is expected to skip the mausoleum.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team