TEHRAN – Iran and Turkey held on Sunday their 19th joint consular meeting meeting in which they discussed a variety of consular issues.

Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary, and Iranian Expatriates Affairs Alireza Bigdeli and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular and Administrative Affairs Yasin Akram presided over the meeting which was also attended by the representatives of the justice ministries and international police departments of the two countries as well as relevant organizations, according to the Iranian foreign ministry.

In an amicable atmosphere, the participants in the session discussed the consular issues of Iran and Turkey including the issues of students, tourists, transit drivers, detainees, borders and police as well as extradition of convicts, facilitation of services on borders, resolution of the problems of expatriates of both Iran and Turkey, recognition of documents issued by the two governments and other issues of Iranian and Turkish nationals.

The two sides underlined the importance of the role of popular ties in relations between Tehran and Ankara. They also agreed that such issues must be monitored and resolved through regular consultations between the two countries.

The consular meeting is held days before Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian pays a visit to Turkey for a joint meeting on Syria. Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced that his Iranian counterpart Amir Abdollahian will pay a visit to Turkey to attend a ministerial meeting about Syria.

The Turkish foreign minister said he would meet Amir Abdollahian next Tuesday and “the Iranian President can also visit Turkey in the upcoming days,” according to Al-Monitor. 

Iran has stepped up diplomatic efforts regarding Syria. On Wednesday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Syria, among other things, over the phone. 

In the conversation, President Raisi emphasized that regional issues can be resolved only through cooperation and coordination, citing the Caucasus region and Syria as examples. "The Islamic Republic of Iran always emphasizes strengthening regional integration and the harmfulness of foreign interference."
Regarding the efforts to solve the Syrian issues, Raisi emphasized the centrality of the Astana Framework and announced the readiness of Iran to play an active and constructive role in ending the conflicts and establishing peace in Ukraine, according to a readout by the official website of the Iranian presidency. 

Putin, for his part, welcomed Iran's initiative to establish peace in Ukraine and emphasized coordination to solve the problems of Syria within the Astana Framework.