TEHRAN- In a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian reiterated Tehran’s position that the Islamic Republic will not tolerate any geopolitical changes in the Caucasus region. 

Amir Abdollahian was openly referring to the conflict between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Amir Abdollahian also pointed to Iran’s talks with the Republic of Azerbaijan, calling the talks fruitful.

The Iranian foreign minister also said Tehran and Ankara are planning to increase their trade ties. “The target for the volume of bilateral trade is 30 billion euros. Good agreements were reached between the two countries during an Iranian delegation’s visit to Ankara. Today, we emphasized these agreements. We prefer to update the preferential trade document.”

Abdollahian added that transit routes in the region are not a source of competition between Iran and Turkey, rather they benefit both countries and help strengthen relations.

'Turkey-Syria concerns should be addressed through diplomacy’ 

Iran’s chief diplomat also said the disputes between Syria and Turkey should be settled through diplomacy.

“During the discussions, we also addressed the issues between Syria and Turkey. Emphasizing the sovereignty of countries, we believe that Turkey and Syria's concerns should be addressed through diplomatic means. Iran, considering its friendly relations with Damascus, is making efforts to address the concerns of our brothers in Turkey,” Amir Abdollahian said. 

Amir Abdollahian also said he and his Turkish counterpart discussed the situation in Ukraine, Afghanistan and the recent sacrilegious moves against the holy Quran in Sweden and Denmark. 

The Turkish foreign minister, for his part, praised the strong historical ties between Turkey and Iran. 

Hakan Fidan mentioned that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will soon visit Turkey for the 8th meeting of the Turkey-Iran Supreme Council. 
He added the two top diplomats discussed border security, counterterrorism efforts, transportation facilitation, and increasing trade between the two countries during their meeting.
The Turkish foreign minister emphasized the importance of Syrian citizens returning home safely and expressed Turkey's desire to collaborate closely with Syria in combating terrorism.
He also expressed satisfaction with the recent reconciliation deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia, highlighting that Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia are responsible countries in the region.

MHA/PA