Rouhani: Iran, Turkey in lockstep on Syria ceasefire

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said that both Iran and Turkey support the current Syrian ceasefire and the preservation of Syria’s territorial integrity.

A Sunday report by the government-owned IRAN daily quotes Rouhani as saying “There is no difference” between the two countries regarding stopping the war and “providing relief assistance to displaced people.”

He added that regional issues, “should be settled by regional countries and nations,” according to the Iranian Tasnim news outlet.

His remarks came during a meeting with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu ahead of talks between the Syrian government and opposition later this month.

But Iran’s first vice president Eshaq Jahangiri on Saturday acknowledged that Iran has “differences” with Turkey on regional issues. Davutoglu on Saturday also said that Iran and Turkey differ on Syria, but said cooperation between the two was necessary to end the bloodshed there.

Turkey is a leading backer of the rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad. Iran, along with Russia, has strongly backed Assad.

Davutoglu arrived in Tehran on Friday on a two-day visit, the first by a Turkish official since the lifting of sanctions under a landmark nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers in January.

Officials on Saturday said Iran and Turkey aim to triple their annual trade to $30 billion within two years.

“We have set a target of $30 billion for our trade,” Jahangiri said in a press briefing broadcast on state television, outlining a two year timeframe for upping the figure from its current $10 billion.

Trade between Turkey and Iran slipped from $15 billion to around $10 billion in the past 12 months, with less imports reaching Tehran.

Iran sells gas to Turkey and an increase in exports is one of the topics that should be discussed during Davutoglu’s trip.