West Recognizes Iran As Regional Power: Envoy

Ankara, Feb 4, IRNA – Westˈs (including the US) interest for negotiation with Tehran roots in the fact that it has recognized Iran as regional power, Iranian Ambassador to Turkey Bahman Hosseinpour said. He made the remarks Sunday on the occasion of celebrations of the Ten-Day-Dawn (February 1-10), marking the 34th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. Several Iranians residing in Turkey and Muslims from other nationalities attended the ceremony. ˈThe West, including US, tried from the onset of the establishment of the Islamic Republic in Iran to weaken it, but it has recognized today that it cannot resolve regional issues without the help of the Islamic Republic,ˈ he said. Pointing to the US request for direct talks with Iran, he noted that the West has reached a deadlock in Syria and defeated in wars of Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen. “Iranian nation could overcome all western pressures, including MKO conspiracies, 8 years of Iraq imposed war and long sanctions and it is committed to protect its independence and would not bend towards the outside powers.” The envoy called Iran-Turkey relations as developing and underscored that trade transactions between the two counties from $5 billion in 2011 increased to $23 billion this year. Turkey’s new Culture and Tourism Minister Omer Celik in a farewell meeting with the outgoing Iranian ambassador to Turkey on Friday emphasized development of cultural ties between Iran and Turkey. Turkey’s Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek had also a farewell meeting with Iranian envoy in which he called for promotion of mutual parliamentarian cooperation with Iran. Turkey’s parliament speaker called Turkey and Iran as two strategic regional countries and noted that expansion of cooperation with Iran is a priority in Ankara’s foreign policy. ˈIran and Turkey have great responsibilities towards regional issues and their cooperation can help to the resolution of regional problems.ˈ Hosseinpour earlier in the day had met Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. “Nothing should affect high level of relations between Iran and Turkey,” Davutoglu said. Trade between Turkey and Iran has risen sharply in the past ten years. Turkey was Iran’s fifth-largest oil customer in 2011, purchasing around 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, 30 percent of its total imports and more than 7 percent of Iran’s oil exports. In a meeting on Ankara last October, Iranian and Turkish officials explored avenues to further broaden mutual cooperation between the two countries in the transit and transportation sector./end