Rouhani in Turkey to boost business and untie the "Syrian knot"
Ankara
(AsiaNews) - For the first time since 1996, an Iranian president has landed in
Turkey for official talks with the government in Ankara. Hassan
Rouhani, considered a moderate seeking to end Iran's isolation, arrived this
morning in Ankara. The
purpose of the trip is to double trade deals with Turkey, to $ 30 billion a
year by 2015, and to find a common position on Syria. Until
now, Tehran has positioned itself on the side of President Assad, while Ankara
has supported rebel groups seeking to overthrow it.
Rouhani
was received with pomp and fanfare: turkish ceremonial cavalry - carrying Iranian and Turkish flags -
escorted Rouhani's limousine to the presidential palace in Ankara. His
visit is also seen as a thank you to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who
in January 2014 visited Iran.
The
two must find a way to circumvent international sanctions against Iran - which
the Turkish minister Development has called "unfair" - to improve
bilateral trade relations. Iran
is seeking a greater share of the Turkish energy market, while Ankara wants greater
access to Iranian exports. Until
2012, the relationship had been worth 22 billion dollars a year. But that was before sanctions imposed by the United
States because of Iran's nuclear program, dropping that figure to less than 15
billion.
The
visit to Ankara confirms Rouhani's new "reformist" course international
relations. In
the context of the resumption of diplomatic "forgotten" ties and the
atmosphere of dialogue diffused by the new president, in fact, today, and
tomorrow Iran is having discussions with the United States in Geneva; and on
June 11
and 12 will have them with Russia in Rome.
These
bilateral talks are ahead of the next meeting with the 5 +1 in Vienna for a
global agreement on the Iranian nuclear program. This
appointment is crucial to Tehran, which hopes that the economic sanctions that
are prostrating the country will be lifted.
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12/02/2016 15:14
21/08/2018 09:27
