Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed on Tuesday that "the upcoming phase will witness a reevaluation of the Astana process regarding Syria and its activation again." In a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart, Ibrahim Raisi, in Tehran, Erdogan emphasized that "the reevaluation and activation of the Astana process will be at the trilateral summit between Turkey, Russia, and Iran scheduled for today."
According to the "Mehr" news agency, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi noted after signing cooperation documents between Iran and Turkey that "the visit of the Turkish president to the Islamic Republic of Iran is a turning point for improving the level of relations between the two countries." Raisi continued, "In the negotiations we conducted, the serious willpower of the two countries to improve the level of economic and trade relations in various fields was discussed and studied... This level of economic and trade relations or attention to the capabilities of the two countries is certainly not enough; the level of relations can be formed at a higher level, and I believe it is possible to target 30 trillion, which is three times the current level in this area." He pointed out that "the establishment of joint industrial zones between the two countries is one of the decisions made in these negotiations, and the discussion included creating scientific and technological complexes that can operate with various active sectors and knowledge-based companies."
Raisi added, "Today, it was confirmed that the 25-year gas transportation contract mentioned earlier will be extended, allowing gas transportation to take a broader form," noting that "developing investment between the two countries was one of the points emphasized in this meeting, and the joint activities of companies operating in Turkey and Iran can continue in both countries to take steps towards developing investment and enhancing relations between the two nations."
He affirmed that "cooperation between the two countries is very important in security matters, border security, and the collaboration of security agencies in both countries can play an effective role in securing the borders," explaining that "the fight against terrorism, drugs, and organized crime were among the most important topics discussed in the meeting." The Iranian president elaborated: "Terrorism may have different names, but regardless of its name, its fight must be emphasized," adding: "Cooperation between the two countries on regional issues was one of the matters emphasized by both countries, including the security of Syria... Good relations between the two nations can lead to good regional and international relations, and both countries can play a role in regional security and at the international level; the ongoing negotiations can play an effective role in achieving that."
Additionally, officials from Iran and Turkey signed eight documents and memorandums of understanding on various political, economic, sports, and cultural issues in the presence of the two presidents. The Mehr news agency reported that "following the official visit plans of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to our country, eight documents and memorandums of understanding regarding cooperation in various fields were signed between the officials of the two countries." It clarified that the signed documents and memorandums of understanding included "the comprehensive long-term cooperation plan between Iran and Turkey, agreements in the fields of social security and sports development, support for small economic projects, cooperation in radio and television, and collaboration between the Iranian Economic and Technical Assistance Organization and the Turkish president's investment office."
