TEHRAN - As the Syrian army is tightening the noose around militants in the northern province of Aleppo, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Friday that Iran, Russia, and Turkey, as three key powerbrokers, should engage in dialogue to contend with regional challenges. 

Zarif made the remarks during a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara. 
“Iran, Russia, and Turkey are key players in the region and need to engage in dialogue and cooperation.” 
The one-day visit to Turkey of the senior Iranian diplomat comes weeks after the July abortive coup in Turkey and the meeting between Iranian and Russian presidents in Baku.
The meeting also comes after the visit to Russia of President Erdogan on August 9 in the Konstantin palace outside St. Petersburg. 

Hinting at disagreements between the three countries over the Syrian crisis, Zarif said, “Even if there are any differences among regional countries, this can be ironed out via dialogue.” 

Zarif says, “Even if there are any differences among regional countries, this can be ironed out via dialogue.” 

The Turkish minister, for his turn, stressed, “The security and stability of Iran is Turkey’s security and stability and we believe this is the case with Iran, too.” 
Cavusoglu also said, “The two countries should pool efforts to counter extremism and terrorist groups of ISIS and al-Nusra, and achieve enduring peace in Syria.” 
Recently, Turkey has been adopting a more realistic policy in the region, starting with an apology call to Moscow, a thaw in bilateral ties after the shooting down of the Russian jet by the Turkish air force. 
The country also learnt from the July coup which drew immediate condemnation messages from Tehran and Moscow even before it ended. This is while other countries including European and Arab ones were hesitant to send condemnation notes. 

Era of bullying, putsch over 

Also, pointing to the failed coup in Turkey, Zarif said, “We believe the era of bullying and coup has passed and this has no longer a place in our region. The people’s vote and will cannot be suppressed by actions of a military group and for this, all Iranian dignitaries including the Supreme Leader, the president, the parliament speaker, and I condemned the coup attempt.” 

“The Turkish people’s move and their standing firm to destroy the roots of the abortive coup was a significant action. The people’s participation gave coup plotters an important lesson.”  
Midnight of July 15 was quite disturbing moments for the Turkish government and nation as a group of senior military officials seized power using military machines. However, the coup failed as Turkish people took to the streets in reply to President Erdogan’s call on the nation to take command of the unrest.
The Turkish foreign minister hailed Iran’s stance on the failed coup, saying Tehran was the first to condemn it. 

AK/PA