Raisi visits Turkye for the first time since taking office
Erdogan: “We will take Iran’s side in the fight against terrorism”
Seeking solutions to economic difficulties and stabilizing the region
As the war between the Palestinian armed group Hamas and Israel is prolonged and instability in the Middle East is increasing, Turkye (Turkey) and Iran are coming into close contact. Although the two countries have different sects of Islam, Sunni and Shia respectively, they have something in common as non-Arab countries in the Middle East, where most Arabs are. They are similar in that they support Hamas and criticize Israel, and they also say that there is an urgent need to resolve the economic crisis and deal with the Kurdish minority.
According to the AFP news agency, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi held a summit meeting in Ankara, the administrative capital of Turkey, on the 24th. This is the first visit to Turkiye by President Raisi, who took office in 2021.
The two leaders said at a press conference, “Israel’s inhumane attack on the Gaza Strip must end and peace must be created.” Cooperation agreements on energy, trade, etc. were also signed.
In particular, President Erdogan mourned the death of about 80 people in a bombing near the gravesite of Qasem Soleimani, former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force, on the 3rd. At the time, the Sunni extremist armed group Islamic State (IS) claimed to be behind the attack. President Erdogan pledged cooperation, saying, “Turkiye is on Iran’s side in the ‘war on terror’ (against IS, etc.).” President Raisi also responded, “It is a great thing that Turkiye supported Palestine.” Iran claims to be a supporter of Hamas.
The two countries, which share a border of about 540km, were not as close as they are now when President Erdogan first took office. At the time, President Erdogan received strong support from the West, including the United States, based on the economic boom. Additionally, Türkiyeh is one of the few countries in the Middle East that has diplomatic relations with Israel, and Iran has always criticized this. In the Syrian civil war that began in 2011, Iran supported President Bashar al-Assad, also a Shia, and Turkiye supported Sunni rebels.
However, as President Erdogan continued to extend his power, he began to fall out with the United States, which criticized him. In addition, the Kurds, who are the largest minority group in Turkiye and are pushing for independence, also live in significant numbers in Iran and Iraq. Both governments recognize the Kurds as a ‘common enemy.’ Both countries are struggling with high inflation and falling currency values.
In response, President Erdogan expressed his intention to seek a solution to the economic crisis through cooperation between the two countries. He emphasized that although companies from each country left the Middle East one after another due to continued Western sanctions after suspicions of Iran’s nuclear development arose, “there are still about 200 Turkic companies staying in Iran despite difficulties.” Türkiye is also a major importer of Iranian natural gas.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.