Erdogan to visit Iran

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Iran soon, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said.

"As soon as the date and details of the visit are determined, we will provide further information," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson noted.

Iran’s Chief of General Staff Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri meet with his Turkish counterpart Gen. Hulusi Akar during his visit to Iran earlier.

Director General of the Center for Studying Modern Iran, Rajab Safarov, speaking with a correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, in the first place pointed to the fact that Erdogan will arrive in Iran to sort through the recent intrigues in Turkish-Iranian relations. "The main problem of Erdogan as president is the cardinal deterioration of relations with virtually all of Turkey's neighbors, so now he is trying to smooth things over," the expert recalled.

According to him, it has been evident in the situation around Syria. "The Iranian interests have been affected in many respects, as Turkey's actions, in Tehran's opinion, were aimed at supporting terrorist groups. Moreover, Iran suspects Turkey of solving its border issues. Another accusation is that Turkey went into Syria very deep," Rajab Safarov said.

He also stressed that the upcoming meeting of the two leaders is extremely important. "President Rouhani could not visit Turkey because he was busy with the presidential elections. His government has already been formed, so there are all the conditions for organizing the meeting. I think that the current issues will be discussed that will affect the situation in Syria, bilateral relations, as well as the situation in the whole region. And, of course, Turkish-Saudi and Turkish-Israeli relations will also be discussed," the expert explained.

In addition, the Director General of the Center for Studying Modern Iran expressed doubt that Erdogan and Rouhani will discuss the Qatari crisis in detail. "Turkey is not a partner for Saudi Arabia that could be delegated to discuss this issue," Rajab Safarov concluded.

Political scientist Orhan Gafarli, in turn, noted that Turkey and Iran plan to bring their positions closer. "Both states intend to oppose the US influence on the region, as well as the unification of Kobani and Afrin cantons, as a result of which the Kurdish autonomy would be established on the border of Turkey and Syria. On this issue the interests of Turkey and Iran coincide, as they oppose the creation of any autonomy in the region, and advocate for preserving Syria's territorial integrity," the expert said.

In addition, he recalled that since 2016 Turkey and Iran have been cooperating in the Astana process of settling the situation in Syria. "Turkey, Iran and Russia are the guarantors of security in the region as part of this process. Turkey is cooperating more actively with Russia on Syrian, Iraqi and Kurdish issues, as it has fundamental differences with Iran due to the fact that Iran's policy in the region is aimed at protecting interests of the Shiites," Orhan Gafarli said.

"Dialogue between Iran and Turkey is capable of restoring the balance of power in the region, weakening US influence in the Middle East and promoting its greater independence. The presidents will also need to talk about possible joint operations both in Idlib against Jabhat Al-Nusra and against Kurdish separatists, who pose a threat to both countries. Almost certainly Ankara and Tehran are coordinating a military operation against separatists and a common policy of the two countries regarding this threat to their territorial unity," the expert concluded.