TEHRAN- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian praises Turkey for its consistent support for Palestine and asserts that the Zionist regime is the Muslim world's number one foe.

The comments were delivered by Amir Abdollahian during a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara on Monday.

“We consider the fake Israeli regime as the number one enemy of Muslims and the Islamic world,” Iran’s top diplomat stated. 

Amir Abdollahian praised Turkey's push for liberation of Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque, stressing, “We are sure that Turkey has never distanced from support of Palestine and liberation of Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque.”

“We clearly gave voice to our sensitivity and considerations about the Zionist regime’s moves and the fact that wherever they went, they have been source of crisis and insecurity,” the foreign minister continued. 

In his remarks, the Iranian foreign minister also said he has updated his Turkish counterpart about the recent visit of the EU foreign policy to Iran. 

“I briefed my brother Mr. Cavusoglu on the visit to Tehran by Mr. Josep Borrell, the high representative of the European Union’s foreign policy and our agreement to continue negotiations on the removal of anti-Iran sanctions,” he pointed out.

“We hope that in the new round of the negotiations between Iran and the opposite parties we would achieve a final agreement, if the United States and three European countries act realistically,” Amir Abdollahian pointed out. 

Borrell, accompanied by four-member team, held talks in Tehran on Sunday with Amir Abdollahian and Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani. In a joint press conference Amir Abdollahian and Borrell announced that talks for revival the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) to remove sanction on Iran will begin soon.

Following the announcement, chief nuclear negotiators from Iran and the U.S. were supposed to start negotiations in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday with the mediation of EU coordinator Enrique Mora.
  
He also elaborated on the Iranian government's foreign policy stance with regard to establishing relationship with neighbors and emphasized strengthening connections and safeguarding shared interests.

Wish to consolidate economic cooperation 

Amir Abdollahian also emphasized Iran's will to activate framework for bilateral relations such as the high cooperation council, the joint economic commission, and the committees for consular, customs, border, security, and media.

The Iranian minister also underlined the importance of promoting trade, economic cooperation, particularly in the areas of transportation, energy, tourism, agriculture, industry, scientific and technological research, and investment.

He also called for strengthening regional cooperation.

The top Iranian diplomat also stressed the importance of addressing environmental issues, such as dust and sand storms, and sharing of water resources.

Amir Abdollahian also insisted on the two nations' vigilance against the plots of the Zionist regime and the need to improve relations between all Iranian and Turkish political and security entities.

Cavusoglu, for his part, pointed to the benefits of holding the 29th meeting of the joint economic commission as soon as possible to bolster cooperation.

He added, "We don’t support the anti-Iran sanctions and don’t consider them right." 

The Turkish foreign minister said he hopes the nuclear deal will be put on right track and start “functioning".

Cavusoglu went on to say that "we also plan to exert more efforts to increase our trade. Moreover, we will continue cooperation to ensure protection of Al-Aqsa and Palestine." 

In addition to developments in Syria within the Astana format, the two sides also spoke about issues in the Caucasus and coordination within the 3+3 initiative, defending the Palestinian cause and maintaining the Islamic identity of the Holy Quds, ending the war in Ukraine, the illegal U.S. sanctions against Iran, and Turkey's opposition to sanctions.

Amir Abdollahian made an official visit to Ankara to hold talk with Turkish officials about strengthening ties with an emphasis on a roadmap for future collaboration.

The senior Iranian diplomat told reporters upon his arrival in Turkey that the main purpose of his visit is to hold discussions over a plan for long-term cooperation between the two neighboring nations.

Late in November, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met with his Turkish counterpart on the sidelines of the 15th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. In their meeting, the two presidents stressed that the presence of foreign parties in the region does not in any way help resolve regional issues.

“Regional problems must be solved by countries in the region, because presence and interference of foreigners cannot help solve these problems, but further complicate the situation,” President Raisi underscored.