First meeting in 15 years for an Iranian president, Jordanian king
Compiled from Dispatches
President Hassan Rouhani, highlighting closer ties between Tehran and Ankara, said the development of cooperation between the two neighboring countries will benefit both nations and strengthen regional stability.
“The development of Tehran-ankara relations and consultations is beneficial to both nations and contributes to the strengthening of stability and security in the region,” Rouhani said at a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, late on Friday in Istanbul.
He also praised bilateral ties in various economic, cultural and political fields as “amicable and brotherly,” Tasnim News Agency reported.
He emphasized that closer banking cooperation between Iran and Turkey would enable both sides to take the best advantage of trade potentials.
The Iranian president also mentioned the United States’ unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and said: “We are witnessing that most of the countries of the region are against the US administration’s action and condemn it,” president.ir reported.
The Turkish president hailed bilateral ties and said the two countries’ officials have made very good attempts at boosting relations and cooperation and these efforts should continue.
Erdogan also expressed appreciation for Rouhani’s effective attendance at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit.
Referring to cooperation in regional issues, Erdogan said, “Most of the US administration’s actions such as their unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with world powers and moving the US Embassy to Alquds are not legitimate and acceptable to other countries of the world.”
President Rouhani was in Istanbul on Friday to take part in an emergency summit of the OIC about the recent massacre of Palestinians at Gaza.
Israeli forces killed at least 62 Palestinians on Monday during the protests near the Gaza fence on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Nakba Day (Day of Adversity), which coincided with Washington’s embassy relocation.
First meeting in 15 years
On the sidelines of the special summit of the OIC, the Iranian and Jordanian heads of state held a brief meeting on Friday, in the first meeting between the two countries’ heads of state in 15 years, Tasnim News Agency reported.
In September 2003, Iran’s then president Mohammad Khatami met with King Abdullah II in Tehran, Press TV wrote.
The relocation of the US Embassy to Al-quds has infuriated Jordan, the custodian of Muslim holy sites in the occupied city.
King Abdullah on Monday stressed that Jordan rejects and condemns “the blatant acts of aggression and violence perpetrated by Israel” against Palestinian Arabs in Gaza, the Jordan Times reported.
The King also criticized the relocation of the US Embassy in Israel to Alquds, warning the move would have serious repercussions on security and stability in the Middle East and will inflame the feelings of Muslims and Christians.