ID :
312763
Sun, 01/05/2014 - 11:07
Auther :

Certain States Cannot Tolerate Iran, Turkey Might In Region

Tehran, Jan 5, IRNA – Turkish Ambassador to Tehran Omit Yardim said Sunday there are certain countries that cannot tolerate Iran and Turkey as two powerful and influential states in the region. In an exclusive interview with IRNA, Yardim said many players at international political scenes can hardly tolerate progresses being made by Iran and Turkey as two powerful regional countries. Therefore, he added, those players have been making their ultimate efforts to halt the progress of Tehran and Ankara. Referring to some economic problems currently facing Ankara, the ambassador said Turkish authorities believe the problems are rooted in outside the country. No Iranian national is involved in the present economic corruption in Turkey, he stressed, noting that R?za Sarraf was a former Iranian national who currently holds Turkish citizenship. Sarraf was detained in Istanbul on December 17, 2013 due to his involvement with the sons of three ministers (Erdo?an Bayraktar, Muammer Güler and Zafer Ca?layan) in an alleged bribery, corruption and smuggling racket. A Turkish court ordered Sarrafs arrest on December 21 along with Bar?? Güler, son of Muammer Güler, and Kaan Ca?layan, son of Zafer Ca?layan. Ambassador Yardim stressed that making any prejudgement about Sarraf or other detainees could be unacceptable and lead to distortion of their legal rights. It is within the power and jurisdiction of Turkey’s judicial system to determine whether Sarraf and other detainees should be convicted or not, he stressed. He noted making any prejudgement before a final judiciary verdict would be nothing but a false accusation. He further announced Ankaras readiness to increase its bilateral cooperation with Tehran to an annual dlrs 30 billion in the next few years. He expressed hope that easing the present anti-Iran sanctions would help further promote Iran-Turkey relations. Ankara is to boost its bilateral ties with Tehran in 2014, said the ambassador, noting that the two are determined to exchange visits at a higher level in the current year. To this end, added Yardim, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an are to exchange visits in both Ankara and Tehran in 2014. He added that no exact date has so far been set for the visits but the issue would be discussed during the meetings of Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Turkish officials. Zarif arrived in Turkey on January 4 at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu. The Iranian minister said the main purpose for his visit to Turkey is to strengthen bilateral ties. According to Yardim, Tehran-Ankara cordial and growing relations could be a role model for regional states. Referring to Iran-5+1 first step deal reached in Geneva in November 2013, he said the deal was the most important event of 2013. Iran and the world sextet (Russia, US, Britain, France and China plus Germany) sealed the six-month Joint Plan of Action in Geneva on November 24, 2013, to lay the groundwork for the full resolution of the West’s decade-long dispute with Iran over its peaceful nuclear program. In exchange for Tehran’s confidence-building bid to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities, the Sextet agreed to lift some of the existing sanctions against Iran and continue talks with the country to solve all problems. The Turkish ambassador expressed hope that the present anti-Iran sanctions would be removed soon. He reiterated that removal of the sanctions would greatly help promote Tehran-Ankara cooperation, adding that it would also lead to Tehran’s more powerful and influential presence in the international scenes./end

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