Iranian and Turkish perspectives on recent regional developments, especially in Iraq and Syria, were discussed in Tehran over the weekend at a joint seminar organized by Iran's Institute of Middle East Strategic Studies (IMESS) and the Ankara-based Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM).

The moderator of the panel, IMESS director Professor Kayhan Barzegar, stressed at the beginning of the seminar that Turkish-Iranian relations have historical roots and are significantly important. He defined the main dimensions of the bilateral relations as a historical rivalry, multi-dimensional and power politics between the two neighboring societies. He said that Turkish-Iranian relations have soured in recent years due to the countries' different position on the Syrian civil war. Touching on Russian presence in Syria he emphasized that Iran considers it a game changer while stressing that Iran is not happy to have the super power in the region.

ORSAM President Şaban Kardaş said in his speech that compared to the situation in the region last year, it getting worse and that there is a power vacuum resulting in instability both in Syria and Iraq. Underlining that Russia's entrance into the Syrian conflict is an attempt to fill that power vacuum, Kardaş said there is a continuing process of a structural power transition in the region that results in uncertainty and instability in the Middle East.Another speaker, Ghadir Nasri, a senior fellow at IMESS, touched on security problems caused by the failed states in the Middle East and stressed that they created the suitable environment for terrorist organizations such as DAESH and PKK. Dr. Emre Erşen from Marmara University in Istanbul emphasized that the rivalry between the U.S. and Russia is the one main reason for Russia's involvement in Syria and said that Russia uses the Syrian conflict to divert domestic policy concerns.

The last speaker at the seminar, Abdolrasoul Divsalar, who is a visiting research fellow at IMESS, described Iranian-Turkish relations as a kind of rivalry and asserted that the strategic containment model may apply to their bilateral relations.