Iran hails growing ties with Turkey

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran on Monday hailed ties with Turkey, saying they have improved in all areas and their capacity for cooperation is more than realized.

Speaking at a weekly press conference in the capital Tehran, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said relations between Ankara and Tehran have made progress in the political, social, economic and security fields.

"The capacity for cooperation between Turkey and Iran is more than realized. We have been in close relations in recent years, and there are many projects that will be implemented. There will be high-level diplomatic visits with Turkey in the near future," Khatibzadeh said.

Reiterating that Iran has stood against the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijan in the last 30 years and has defended Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty, he said: "We congratulated the Azerbaijani administration and people over the areas liberated from the occupation and we welcome its anniversary."

He noted that Tehran and Baku are in favor of developing relations and that their foreign ministers meet regularly, adding efforts are underway to put aside some misunderstandings between the two countries.

“We hope that relations between the two countries will further develop and such misunderstandings will not be repeated,” he added.

‘US must lift all sanctions to return to nuclear deal’

Khatibzadeh meanwhile argued that the steps taken by the US administration regarding the nuclear agreement contradicted its own claims.

“To return to the nuclear agreement, the US must admit that it has done wrong. It must lift all sanctions. In addition, it should guarantee that no US administration will repeat the present conditions," he said.

Noting that the US is not a party to the nuclear agreement and therefore cannot attend the next meeting on it in Vienna on Nov. 29, he said Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani would be the chief negotiator and the delegation will be formed under his guidance.

Turning to Afghanistan, Khatibzadeh said Ahmad Massoud, the son of the famed anti-Taliban fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud, visited Iran with the knowledge of various groups and units in Afghanistan.

Khatibzadeh also said that negotiations with Saudi Arabia are continuing, and progress depends on Riyadh's attitude.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan