Mohammad Farazmand, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Ankara, made important evaluations to our newspaper on the recent developments in the region and the relations between Ankara and Tehran.
“THE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES ARE BASED ON AN ESTABLISHED HISTORY”
Ambassador Farazmand stated that the relations between Turkey and Iran date back to the Treaty of Zuhab signed in 1639 and have a deep-rooted history.
Farazmand stated that the relations between the two countries have followed a stable course since then.
"We, as Iran and Turkey, have various mechanisms to improve our good neighborly relations, and we have benefited from these mechanisms in different periods until today. The Supreme Cooperation Council, which was established with the agreement of the presidents of the two countries, is one of the most important of these mechanisms. Meetings of the High Cooperation Council have been held 6 times under the chairmanship of the presidents of the two countries," Farazmand said.
“IMPORTANT CONTRACTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MADE”
Pointing out that the seventh of the meetings will be held in the coming months and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iranian President İbrahim Reisi will also come together at this meeting, Farazmand stated that he expects the two countries to reach agreements on various issues, especially on commercial, economic and political relations, during the meeting and meeting to be held.
Ambassador Farazmand stated that the relations between Turkey and Iran date back to the Treaty of Zuhab signed in 1639 and have a deep-rooted history.
“OUR COMMERCIAL RELATIONS RISED AGAIN”
Emphasizing that the commercial relations between Ankara and Tehran are at least as important as the diplomatic relations, Farazmand stated that the trade relations, which fell in 2020 due to the pandemic and the US sanctions, started to rise again in 2021.
"There was an increase of approximately 70 percent in the trade volume between the two countries. However, we hope to return to the level of 10 billion dollars in 2019, thanks to the agreements to be reached in 2022, especially in the meeting of the presidents of the two countries. After achieving this figure, we aim to move forward with rapid steps towards the determined trade volume of 30 billion dollars," Ambassador Farazmand added.
“VARIOUS PROGRAMS ARE AVAILABLE TO IMPROVE COMMERCIAL RELATIONS”
On the other hand, Farazmand stated that there are various operational and applicable programs to improve commercial relations.
"In this context, we are trying to improve transit passes between the two countries. We are also developing the customs gates between the two countries. There is Razi Customs Gate opposite Gürbulak Customs Gate. We are developing the road terminal there and also all our other highways with Turkey. We are also trying to develop the railways between the two countries. In this direction, we both create new lines and try to connect existing lines with various connections," Farazmand said.
“NORMALIZING COUNTRIES REALIZED THE MISTAKE THEY MADE”
Ambassador Farazmand, who has also made evaluations about the normalization agreements between the countries in the Middle East and Israel in recent years, "Former US President Donald Trump and his team put pressure on the countries, forcing them to sign a normalization agreement with Israel. But I think that these countries have also realized that they have made a big mistake. The recent reconciliation efforts between the countries of the region confirm this," he added.
“ISLAMIC COUNTRIES SHOULD JOIN THEIR POWERS”
Speaking about the impact of the normalization agreements on the Palestinian issue, Farazmand concluded his words as follows:
"America no longer has the power to carry the character and title of great power. On the other hand, the Israelis are not very strong either. The countries of the region and Islamic countries need to trust themselves now. In this direction, they need to join forces. These countries can only defend the cause of Jerusalem and Palestine by joining forces. Known as the two biggest powers supporting the Palestinian cause, Turkey and Iran should also join forces and support this cause."