ISTANBUL

Emine Erdogan, Turkish first lady and chair of the UN High-Level Advisory Council on Zero Waste, met with Iran’s Vice President and Head of the Department of Environment, Shina Ansari, at an international zero waste forum on Friday.

Following the forum, which was held in Istanbul under the theme "Zero Waste Movement: People, Places, Transformation," Ansari congratulated Erdogan on the event, noting that it was the region's first major environmental meeting hosted by Türkiye.

Erdogan stated that Ansari’s participation strengthened the forum, emphasized their belief in being strong together with neighboring countries, and highlighted the special relationship between Iran and Türkiye, which extends from the past into the future.

Ansari, for her part, said Iran is working intensively on waste management but seeks to improve further, stressing the value of sharing knowledge. She praised Türkiye's expertise in environmental protection, waste management, and water conservation, noting that cooperation between the two countries would be beneficial.

She added that Türkiye has consistently taken a clear stance on all issues and has supported Iran in its challenges, stressing that achieving success in environmental matters requires the establishment of peace.

Erdogan emphasized that diplomacy should be based on negotiation and peace, but unfortunately, aggression, war, and conflict have recently become widespread in the region.

She also congratulated Ansari on her environmental work and stated that Türkiye is ready to cooperate on any issue.