Turkey slammed the U.S. sanctions on Iran, seeking to set up new mechanisms to improve bilateral trade ties, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday. Speaking at a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, Cavusoglu said the U.S. decision to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization is a dangerous move that could lead to chaos in the region. Turkey has conveyed clearly its concern to U.S. officials in all platforms, he said, referring to Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak’s visit to Washington, where he met with U.S. President Donald Trump and top U.S. officials. Ankara and Teheran will keep working to establish new mechanisms in order to raise bilateral trade to a target of 30 billion U.S. dollars, around triple the current level, the minister stressed. Zarif arrived in Ankara one day after his visit on Syria, where he met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ahead of a fresh round of talks to be … [Read more...] about Turkey seeks to improve trade ties with Iran, slams U.S. sanctions
Turkey
YPG terrorist captured in southeastern Turkey’s Gaziantep
A suspect with links to PKK terrorist group's Syrian branch People's Protection Units (YPG) was captured in southeastern Turkey's Gaziantep province, the official Anadolu Agency said Wednesday. The counter-terrorism branch of the provincial gendarmerie forces captured the suspect identified as A.A. in a raid on a house belonging to the suspect, located in Kepenk neighborhood of Şahinbey district. Investigations revealed that the 25-year-old suspect was involved in terrorist activities in Syria's Ayn al-Arab, also known as Kobane, which is currently controlled by the terrorist group. The suspect was later arrested by the court. Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) conducted two successful operations in northern Syria with the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Launched in August 2016, TSK backed-FSA captured bordering Jarablus, al-Rai and al-Bab districts from the Daesh terrorist group in Operation Euphrates Shield, while they also cleared the Afrin district from the YPG in Operation Olive Branch … [Read more...] about YPG terrorist captured in southeastern Turkey’s Gaziantep
Turkey’s Erdogan meets Iran minister over Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday met with Iran's foreign minister, who arrived in Ankara to brief him on his meeting with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey supports Syrian opposition rebels and Iran backs Assad in Syria's long war, but the two sides have been expanding contacts amid international efforts to end the fighting. Kazakhstan will host a fresh round of Syria talks on April 25-26 in its capital, recently renamed from Astana to Nur-Sultan. "I had a long interview with Bashar al-Assad. I will be giving details of these discussions to Mr. Erdogan," Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters in translated comments. Ankara broke ties with Damascus in 2011 after the start of the Syrian war, and Erdogan has in the past described Assad as an "assassin". But Erdogan acknowledged in February that low-level contacts have been taking place and his rhetoric has also softened in tone in recent months. "In Syria, from the start, on the ground, we … [Read more...] about Turkey’s Erdogan meets Iran minister over Syria
Official on Turkey’s position in NATO: no one has right to interfere
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: No one has the right to interfere in Turkey’s affairs regarding its position in NATO, said Ibrahim Kalin, the press secretary of the Turkish president, Trend reports via Turkish media. Kalin noted that Turkey is one of the NATO members and is responsible for all decisions that it makes. Regarding the purchase of Russian S-400 air defense system, he said that no country has the right to tell Turkey what to do. Russian S-400s do not pose a threat to NATO, and the US know it very well, he added. Earlier, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said that the US believes that Turkey would be unable to have both American F-35 fighter-bombers and Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems at the same time, as this is technically impossible. “According to Pentagon sources, it is impossible to launch the F-35 in the space where the S-400 is operated,” he said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the country may … [Read more...] about Official on Turkey’s position in NATO: no one has right to interfere
Zarif thanks Turkey for refusing to support US sanctions against Iran
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 17 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Tehran is pleased with Ankara’s position on the US sanctions against Iran and Iran is grateful to Turkey for such support, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said. Zarif made the remarks in Ankara during a joint press-conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. “Turkey has once again proved that its relations with Iran are very important and are aimed at the welfare of the two peoples,” Zarif added, Trend reports on April 17. Zarif paid a working visit to Turkey’s Ankara city. The US other sanctions against Iran came into force on November 5, 2018. The sanctions covered the oil export. Washington intends to bring the export of Iranian oil to zero, calling on all its buyers to abandon such purchases. US President Donald Trump announced in May 2018 that Washington was withdrawing from an agreement on a nuclear program with Iran. He also spoke about the restoration of all sanctions against Iran, … [Read more...] about Zarif thanks Turkey for refusing to support US sanctions against Iran