IRAN.ru: Turkey's new policy in Iran
Held in late January, a two-day official visit by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Iran was another reason for the estimates of bilateral relations between the two countries, which are known to have both elements of traditional rivalries and features sustainable cooperation. Ankara and Tehran are constantly on the brink of confrontation and good neighborly relations, with a number of strategic differences on regional security issues. Both countries have openly declared their desire to become a regional leader, chose different political models of development and the corresponding levers of influence on the situation in the Middle East. However, the leadership of both countries is based on the well-known approach in diplomacy "bad peace is better than a good quarrel," which was confirmed once again by the results of this first visit of Turkish Prime Minister in Tehran after the election of the president of Iran Hassan Rouhani.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister called his country's ties with Turkey as "unique" and "the spirit of brotherhood, love and friendship between Tehran and Ankara" rated as having "the last century unprecedented in world history." Head of Iran once again reminded of the immutability of Tehran's foreign policy doctrine, which has always proceeded from the postulate that "the country can not choose its neighbors and should make great efforts to prevent emerging crises, maintain friendly relations." According to Ayatollah Khamenei, now it is important to take advantage of opportunities for the development of the Iranian-Turkish relations and the need to achieve as quickly as possible the practical realization of the agreements concluded by the delegation of Erdogan in Tehran.
As can be seen, Iran does not focus on regional rivalry, not prioritizes the recent unfriendly acts by the Turkish leadership to deploy in Turkey air defense missile systems (SAM) "Patriot" and NATO radar does not make an obstacle for the development of further cooperation diametrically opposed positions of both countries on Syria. Pragmatism and diplomacy President Rouhani noticeable here, the new leadership comes from the fact that Iran certainly plays an important in the Middle East, but not the only role. Iranian Foreign Ministry acknowledges Turkey's right to conduct its own defense policy, which depends largely on the commitment of Ankara resulting from membership in NATO and allied relations with Washington. Predictability of Iranian diplomacy towards Turkey obvious priority of bilateral cooperation - the expansion of trade and economic relations, which has accumulated rich experience. MORE