Both countries agree to extend gas supply contract for another 25 years
\n ANKARA
\nT\u00fcrkiye and Iran need to continue to fight terrorist groups in solidarity, as they stir up trouble for both countries, the Turkish president said in the Iranian capital Tehran on Tuesday.
\n\u201cThe PJAK, PKK, PYD, YPG, and FETO terrorist organizations are troublemakers for both T\u00fcrkiye and Iran. We need to continue the fight against them in solidarity,\u201d Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a press conference alongside his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi, citing a list of offshoots or allies of the PKK, a terror group that has taken some 40,000 lives, and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the defeated coup in 2016.
\n\u201cAs you know, we have now included them in NATO records,\u201d he added, referring to a recent memorandum on Sweden and Finland\u2019s membership bids. \u201cThey are troublemakers that disturb the peace in whatever country they are in. Therefore, we need to continue our struggle against them in solidarity.\u201d
\nEarlier co-chairing the 7th meeting of the T\u00fcrkiye-Iran High-Level Cooperation Council to enhance bilateral cooperation, the two leaders signed eight agreements in the areas of trade, social security, and sports.
\nErdogan said he believed that the countries will boost their bilateral trade volume to $30 billion. \u201cUnfortunately, we faced a serious setback due to the COVID-19 outbreak. As of now, we have reached $7.5 billion. I believe that the two countries will reach $30 billion again.
\n\u201cIt is possible to accelerate this process with the steps that we will take in the defense industry. This can be accelerated with steps to be taken in both oil and natural gas,\u201d he added.
\nLater in the day, Erdogan, Raisi, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet for the 7th Trilateral Summit Meeting in the Astana format to discuss the latest developments in Syria, and the fight against terror groups, particularly the PKK and its Syrian offshoot the YPG\/PKK and Daesh\/ISIS.
\nOn the trilateral meeting in Tehran, Erdogan said the meeting will be a reevaluation of the 2017 Astana process.
\nThe Astana process was launched in 2017 to restore peace in Syria, which has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters with unexpected ferocity.
\nOn the signing of the eight agreements, Erdogan later said on Twitter: \u201cI believe that our visit will give a new impetus to our relations.\u201d
\n\u201cAs President Mr. Raisi has stated, our fight against terrorism is of great importance,\u201d he added.
\n\u201cI hope that our in-depth discussions in political, military, economic, commercial, cultural and all other fields will be beneficial for T\u00fcrkiye and Iran,\u201d he added. Iran and T\u00fcrkiye on Tuesday agreed to extend their gas supply contract for another 25 years and set an ambitious trade target of $30 billion.
\nThe agreements came during a meeting between Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Tehran. In his remarks at a joint presser with Erdogan after delegation-level talks, Raisi said the Turkish president\u2019s visit to Tehran marks an \u201cimportant turning point\u201d in improving the level of cooperation between the two neighboring countries.
\nRaisi stressed that the level of trade and economic ties between Tehran and Ankara was not enough and can be moved to a higher level, adding that the $30 billion target of trade volume is achievable. In the presence of the two presidents, Iran and T\u00fcrkiye signed eight memoranda of understanding in political, economic, sports, and cultural fields after their bilateral talks.
\nAccording to a statement by the president\u2019s office, the agreements signed between the two sides include a comprehensive plan for long-term cooperation, support for small economic enterprises, radio and television cooperation, and cooperation between government departments among others. The visit is the first by the Turkish president to Tehran since the formation of the new government in Iran last year. The two leaders had met on the sidelines of the ECO Summit in Turkmenistan last November where they agreed on \u201ccomprehensive improvement of ties.\u201d
\nErdogan arrived in the Iranian capital late on Monday. Besides bilateral talks, he will also take part in trilateral talks with Raisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Astana Format. The agreement to boost trade ties came shortly after Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in his meeting with the Turkish president that there was scope to expand economic ties between the two countries. The target of a $30 billion trade volume was originally set between the two countries before former US President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018.
\nRaisi expressed hope that the strategic cooperation document signed between the two sides on Tuesday will contribute to the \u201cconsolidation of bilateral relations\u201d. He said the two sides also agreed on the development of industrial towns and science and technology parks with the help of knowledge-based industries.
\nThe Iranian president further said that the two sides discussed security cooperation, especially in securing joint borders. He said the security and intelligence bodies of the two countries can work together in bolstering security and fighting terrorism, narcotics, and organized crimes. The two sides, he remarked, also discussed regional issues of common interest and emphasized that the two nations must fight terrorism that threatens their security.
\nHe said terrorism may have different names but it endangers the security of the region and must be taken into consideration. Raisi stressed that good relations between the two countries can lead to \u201cbetter regional and international relations\u201d and both countries can play a role in bolstering regional and international security.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Both countries agree to extend gas supply contract for another 25 years ANKARA T\u00fcrkiye and Iran need to continue to fight terrorist groups in solidarity, as they stir up trouble for both countries, the Turkish president said in the Iranian capital Tehran on Tuesday. \u201cThe PJAK, PKK, PYD, YPG, and FETO terrorist organizations are troublemakers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":272330,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-272319","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n