On the second day of his visit to Iran, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu met with Iranian officials.

Speaking at the joint press conference held following the meeting with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu congratulated Foreign Minister Zarif for the agreement reached in Geneva concerning the nuclear program of Iran and noted that Turkey is against the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region and in the world, but Turkey also advocates that the peaceful use of nuclear technology should not be prevented.

Maintaining that the lifting of sanctions against Iran will have a positive effect on bilateral relations as well as Iran’s economic activities in the region, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu said “The economies of Iran and Turkey complement each other and they are not rival economies. Therefore, mutual integration may create a great synergy. I believe that our bilateral relations, particularly in trade, energy and cultural field will accelerate rapidly in the forthcoming period”.

Stating that with his Iranian counterpart they also discussed regional issues, especially the Syria question in depth, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu said “the stability in Syria, in Lebanon and in all other regional countries is very significant for both Turkey and Iran. Protection of all borders in the region, self-determination of the peoples of the region, establishment of a secure and stable region as well as joint action against terrorism and against provocations in the regions were the agenda items which were addressed during the meeting”.

Noting that joint steps to be taken by the two countries with a view to providing humanitarian assistance to the Syrian refugees whose number has exceeded two million and to more than 5 million people in Syria who are in need of emergency assistance, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu said “For the success of the Geneva-2 process, we both agree that a relative cease-fire and calm must be established. On the other hand, regarding the final settlement in Syria, we will continue to work together with a view to ensuring that Syrians who has no blood in their hands will come to power by the political will of the Syrian people and with the participation of all parties and that all Syrians will live in peace”.

Furthermore, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu was received by President of Iran, Mr. Hassan Rouhani. Bilateral relations and regional issues were discussed at the meeting.