Ahmad Davutoğlu arrived in Tehran on Friday evening, March 14, leading a delegation of ministers from the economy, customs and trade, communications and development, transportation, and energy sectors of Turkey. He was welcomed by Mahmoud Vaezi, Iran's Minister of Communications and Information Technology. According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Mr. Davutoğlu announced at Ankara Airport before his trip to Tehran that he would discuss ways to enhance economic and trade cooperation between the two countries with senior Iranian officials and would also engage in discussions regarding regional developments, including the Syrian crisis and the situation in Iraq. He stated regarding the differences with Iran on regional issues: "What is important is that the dialogue between countries is not interrupted, which has never been the case with Iran." Just hours before these remarks, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the Turkish Foreign Minister, indicated that Ankara is working to improve its relations with Iran, even though the two sides have differing views on how to resolve the Syrian crisis. Tehran and Ankara have fundamental disagreements regarding the Syrian crisis. Turkey demands the resignation of Bashar al-Assad from power in Syria, while Iran is considered one of Assad's main supporters in the region. These disagreements have led to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accusing the Islamic Republic of Iran on December 27 of exacerbating "sectarian" policies in Syria by supporting Assad. Conversely, some Iranian officials have accused Turkey of supporting the Islamic State (ISIS). For instance, Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, stated on December 4 that the Islamic Republic possesses "information" and "videos" of ISIS oil sales in Turkey. Additionally, several media outlets in Iran have implicated Erdoğan's family in oil trade with ISIS, an accusation that has angered the Turkish President to the extent that he warned Hassan Rouhani about these media allegations. The state-run IRNA previously noted that the main focus of discussions during Davutoğlu's visit would be to increase trade exchanges between the two countries to $30 billion. Davutoğlu's trip to Iran comes after the Vienna nuclear agreement and follows a recent visit by a high-level Turkish economic and trade delegation led by Refat Hisarcıklıoğlu, President of the Turkish Chambers of Commerce and Stock Exchanges. According to statistics released by Iranian customs, in the year 1393 (2014), Iran's imports from Turkey were approximately $4 billion, while exports to Turkey were about $2 billion. Iran also exports 10 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey annually based on a contract signed between the two countries in 1996.
Ahmad Davutoğlu, Prime Minister of Turkey, Arrives in Tehran
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmad Davutoğlu visited Tehran to discuss economic cooperation and regional issues, including the Syrian crisis, amidst ongoing tensions between Turkey and Iran over their differing positions on Assad. The visit aims to boost trade relations, despite existing accusations between the two nations regarding support for extremist groups.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmad Davutoğlu visited Tehran to discuss enhancing economic cooperation and addressing regional issues, particularly the Syrian crisis. The visit aims to strengthen trade relations despite existing tensions between the two countries.
- Davutoğlu's delegation included ministers from various sectors, indicating a focus on economic collaboration.
- The goal is to increase trade exchanges between Turkey and Iran to $30 billion.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
Turkey and Iran have historically had a complicated relationship, marked by both cooperation and rivalry, particularly over the Syrian conflict. Their differing positions on regional issues often lead to tensions.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
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