Tehran is reportedly working out the final details of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s first official visit to Türkiye, as well as Syria, according to a Foreign Ministry spokesperson. Addressing a weekly news conference in the capital on Monday, Nasser Kanaani said the plans for Raisi's first visit to Türkiye since assuming office two years ago are currently "being finalized."
It comes after Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın was quoted as saying last week that the Iranian president will visit Ankara "in the next few weeks." He said the planned visit was postponed due to "certain reasons," adding that protocols are being discussed between the two sides and the visit will take place in the coming weeks. Kalın, however, stopped short of specifying the time of the visit.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Iranian counterpart Raisi last met on the sidelines of the 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan last September.
The leaders reviewed pacts reached between the two sides during Erdoğan's visit to Tehran in July 2022 and emphasized speeding up the implementation of those agreements. It was the first visit by the Turkish leader since the formation of the new government in Iran the year before. Raisi had hailed it as an "important turning point" in improving the level of cooperation between the two neighboring countries, stressing that good relations could contribute to "better regional and international security."
During the meetings, the two countries signed eight memorandums of understanding in political, economic, sports, and cultural fields after extensive bilateral talks. Erdoğan had highlighted the need to continue fighting "in solidarity" against terrorist organizations like the PKK, its offshoots, and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which he described as "troublemakers for both Türkiye and Iran."
Besides one-on-one negotiations, Erdoğan also participated in trilateral talks with Raisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Astana format on Syria, a process launched in 2017 to establish a cease-fire and bring conflicts under control in the war-torn country.
Ankara is also at odds with Moscow and Tehran over Syria where it has been both politically and militarily backing the opposition against Bashar Assad’s regime, which managed to turn the tide in its favor at one point in 2015 thanks to support from Russia and Iran.
Raisi's upcoming visit to Ankara, experts believe, will serve as a follow-up to the Turkish leader's visit to Tehran last year and allow the two sides to bolster bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
As per sources, the issues likely to be discussed include Syria, Afghanistan, the Caucasus, and threats posed by terrorist groups to the two countries.