Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Turkish Foerign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara in the morning of Jan. 30. Though the meeting was planned earlier, in response to Fidan’s visit to Tehran a few months ago, the threat of war in the region presented by the U.S. and Israel figured heavily in their discussion. “Naturally, at present, regional issues are also very serious and there are serious challenges, and the objectives stated by the United States and others certainly make it necessary for us to have closer consultations, review regional issues, and coordinate positions,” Araghchi said upon his arrival.
During a joint press conference with Fidan, Araghchi stressed that Iran is ready to resume negotiations based on equality, mutual interests, and mutual respect, reported IRNA. Iran has never sought nuclear weapons and such weapons have no place in Iran’s security calculations, he added.
Iran and Türkiye agree that regional developments, due to illegitimate interventions by certain trans-regional powers, are moving along a dangerous path, Araghchi warned. The Israeli regime, through numerous malicious plots, seeks to drag others into war, weaken the regional countries, and continue its expansionism and excessive demands, he stated. There is a shared understanding in the region that the hegemonic and war-mongering behavior of the Israeli regime knows no boundaries and views all nations of the region as targets of its greed, he said.
