Iranian FM: Iran, Turkey, Syria family members

Iran, Turkey and Syria are members of a family, said Iran's foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi calling for more interaction among the three countries, Press TV reported with reference to Fars news agency.

Salehi and visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, during a joint news conference late on Sunday in Tehran, called for a quick solution to the ongoing unrest in Syria.

Both foreign ministers stated that Iran and Turkey have friendly relations with Syria, and urged closer cooperation with Damascus to resolve its problems.

Syria has been experiencing unrest in past months, with demonstrations held both against and in support of President Bashar al-Assad's government. Some of the protest rallies have turned into armed clashes between alleged protesters and state security forces, and there are also reports of organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards.

The two also discussed the latest regional developments, and called on regional governments to respect their people's rights, and to heed the people's demands.

Moreover, Salehi praised the friendly relations between Tehran and Ankara, and called for increasing bilateral trade ties.

Iran's top diplomat highlighted plans to increase the volume of trade transactions between the two countries from the current figure of $14 billion to $30 billion over the next few years.

Davutoglu, for his part, said that Turkey is against any measure that violates the human rights and resists people's demands.

The Turkish senior official called Syria "a dear friend" for the Islamic Republic and Turkey, noting that any possible problem can be solved within the family.

Davutoglu is in Tehran as part of his tour of the Middle East, which has already taken him to Egypt, Libya, and Saudi Arabia.

The Turkish foreign minister is also scheduled to travel to Syria and Jordan during his regional tour.


/Trend/