Türkiye Protests 'One-Sided Sanctions' On Iran, Hopes Revival Of Nuclear Deal

Türkiye on Monday denounced "one-sided sanctions" on Iran, and voiced hopes for the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal.

"We have been against one-sided sanctions on Iran and do not approve those sanctions," Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint press conference with Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Ankara.

Cavusoglu expressed hope for the nuclear agreement to be restored, and for all parties to take the necessary steps in this regard.

Former US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the landmark deal in May 2018, which was followed by the reinstatement of sanctions on Iran under the "maximum pressure" campaign.

Explaining that the nuclear deal would benefit the region, Türkiye's top diplomat said it would have "positive reflections" on regional relations and help carry relations forward.

"We'll exert more efforts to increase our trade volume," Cavusoglu said, adding that the two countries will continue to cooperate in efforts to defend the Palestinian cause.

Emphasizing that the two countries have "well-rooted historical relations," Cavusoglu said Türkiye is determined to further improve relations with Iran in all areas.

The Turkish minister said they addressed not only regional issues but issues related to terrorism as well.

Türkiye and Iran "have to continue cooperation because terror is a common enemy for us all," Cavusoglu added.

7th High-Level Cooperation Council meeting

Mutual visits between Türkiye and Iran were hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic, Cavusoglu said, as he expressed a desire to increase such visits between Ankara and Tehran.


He also said that Iran is to host the seventh High-Level Cooperation Council meeting and that they are working on the date as the two countries want to hold it next month.

On trade relations, Cavusoglu cited the leaders of the two countries' target to increase the bilateral trade to $30 billion. However, he said Türkiye and Iran are far behind this target.

"Therefore, we need to make more efforts and increase our trade volume even more. We also have good mechanisms in order to move our trade volume forward. For this purpose, we anticipate holding our 29th Joint Economic Commission Meeting in a short time," he added.

Regarding the cease-fire in Yemen, Cavusoglu said Türkiye wants the truce to be permanent and reminded that the only solution to the conflict is a political solution.

He also addressed the Palestinian cause and stressed that Türkiye's position will never change under any circumstances and that Ankara and Tehran will continue cooperation to defend the cause.

For his part, the Iranian foreign minister said they discussed a roadmap to improve relations in many areas. "We'll establish a committee to deal with climate change issues along our border," he added.

Türkiye's security concerns must be addressed

Noting that Türkiye's security concerns must be taken seriously and resolved quickly, Amir-Abdollahian said the reservations should be dealt with "fully" and "permanently."

He said Iran understands Türkiye's security concerns viz-a-viz developments in Syria and agrees that those concerns must be addressed amicably through dialogue.

The Iranian foreign minister arrived in Ankara on Monday on his first visit to the country since assuming office last year.


He was also received by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before heading to Turkmenistan for the ministerial meeting of Caspian Sea countries.


Amir-Abdollahian said he also discussed the formation of a high-level strategic body between the two countries to oversee the implementation of the long-term cooperation pact.

Iran's top diplomat said recent sandstorms that hit Iran and several other regional countries were also discussed, adding Tehran will be hosting a regional meeting to discuss ways to counter the problem.

The issues related to consular affairs and exchange of prisoners were also discussed in the meeting, he said.

On Iran nuclear talks, the top Iranian diplomat said Tehran hopes to reach a point of agreement in the fresh round of negotiations, provided that the US and its three European allies adopt a "realistic behavior".

The Iranian foreign minister's visit to Türkiye came a day before indirect talks between Tehran and Washington to resuscitate the 2015 nuclear deal are set to resume in Doha.

The three-month deadline was broken on Saturday after European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell visited Tehran and held talks with Amir-Abdollahian and Iran's top security official Ali Shamkhani.

The two sides agreed to revive the talks albeit at a new venue, and in a new format, without the participation of Russia, China, the UK, France and Germany.

EU will act as a mediator and exchange messages between the two sides with the aim to resolve key differences.



*Additional reporting by Syed Zafar Mehdi in Tehran -