TURKEY, IRAN TO FOSTER TIES, COMBAT TERRORISM
TEHRAN 8 May (IPS) Turkish Interior Minister Saadettin Tantan arrived in Tehran early Tuesday morning and started crucial talks with his Iranian counterparts, dominated by security problems that pits the two Muslim neighbours against each other.
The English-language daily "Turkish Daily News" quoted unidentified diplomatic sources saying that Tantan would present the Iranians a 163-pages report regarding the presence on the Iranian soil of Turkish "terrorist groups", including the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the one hand and support Iran provides for some extremist Islamic groups like the outlawed (Iran-backed, Turkish) Hezbollah that are working against Turkey.
"The file includes allegations that Islamic militants received training at camps in Iran", the daily said, adding that Ankara often accuses Tehran of backing PKK terrorists and extreme Islamic militants in Turkey.
Iran denies the charges and for it’s part, accuses Turkey for giving free ride to Iranian opposition groups like the Iraqi-backed, financed and trained Mujahedeen Khalq Organisation.
Tehran also denounces Turkey’s close security and military collaboration with Israel as a serious threat to its national security.
"Iran’s legendary hospitality does not mean that Iran is a place for opposition groups working against other countries", Iran’s Deputy Interior Minister for security affairs Gholamhosein Bolandian told Tantan, observing that Iran is itself the victim of terrorism.
"Iran's foreign policy is based on non-interference in other countries' domestic affairs. Though both Tehran and Ankara are trying to maintain bilateral relations at a high level but enemies of both countries make attempts to create tension in their ties", Bolandian reiterated, referring to Israel.
In press conference Monday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s senior spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi described Tantan’s visit as "very important" and would helping foster further friendly relations with Turkey.
"We have very good relations with Turkey in different fields. As it is known, there is a joint security committee between Turkey and Iran and this visit will be carried out within the scope of co-operation on security and economic issues", the Iraqi-born Asefi stressed.
Relations between staunchly secular Turkey and the religion-based Iran suffered greatly after the Islamic revolution of 1979, with the new Iranian clerical rulers encouraging Turkish islamist militants to overthrow Ankara’s military-backed Government.
But tensions eased remarkably after the victory of Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Khatami in May 1997 presidential elections and his pledge to détente with Iran’s neighbours.
Stressing that the two country's relations gained new momentum after Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem's visit to Iran in February, Asafi said, "There are improvements in the two country's relations and Tantan's visit will further solidify ties."
"Cem's successful February visit to Iran once more showed that Turkey and Iran can only be partners, not rivals and how they so badly need each other for regional stability and security’, "Turkish Daily News" commented.
Upon arrival in Tehran, Tantan told reporters that his visit is aimed at expanding Tehran-Ankara relations and settlement of security issues including confrontation with organised crimes and activities of the opposition groups.
"I, as the first Turkish interior minister, at a high security level, want to talk to Iranian senior officials to help further promote co-operation between the two states", he noted, according to the Iranian official news agency IRNA.
"Establishment of security in Iran and Turkey will make other regional countries make efforts to work for the cause of security in the region", the Turkish Minister said.
Majles (parliament) Speaker Mehdi Karroubi in a meeting with Tantan also expressed the view that all-out expansion of relation with Turkey was a "priority" in Iran's foreign policy, adding that keeping regular meetings on security is in the each party's and the region’s interests.
Trade between Turkey and Iran stands at approximately 800 millions US Dollars, but Ankara’s 400 millions deficit is expected to reach $1.4 billion after the completion of a gas pipe line linking Iranian gas fields to Turkey
Another positive sign in Turkish-Iranian relations was that the passenger train services between Tehran and Damascus via Istanbul resumed in March. Train services between the two countries had been brought to a halt in 1993 due to the threat of terrorism.
Tantan will stay two days in Tehran and another one in Tabriz, the capital city of East Azerbaijan province. ENDS IRAN TURKEY TANTAN 8501