Turkish FM Davutoğlu discusses regional issues with Iranian counterpart

NEW YORK – Anadolu Agency

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu (L) meets with Iranian counterpart, Javad Zarif (C), in a bilateral meeting ahead of the UN General Assembly, Monday, Sept 23 in New York. AA photo

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and his Iranian counterpart, Javad Zarif, conducted a meeting yesterday to discuss regional concerns related to both countries, including the Syrian conflict.

The ministers took a long walk by New York’s East River, separate from officials at the U.N. General Assembly, to discuss the ongoing civil war in Syria and the upcoming P5+1 meeting with Iran.

Davutoğlu invited Zarif to further discuss ways of pursuing more efficient cooperation between countries.

Davutoğlu also met with the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.

The two discussed the ongoing crisis in Syria, as well as other developments in the Middle East and the ongoing changes in the region, in a meeting that lasted longer than scheduled, according to diplomatic sources.

The New York meeting was a follow-up of a previous meeting held in Paris between the foreign ministers of Turkey, the U.S., Britain and France. Kerry informed Davutoğlu about the recent meetings held in The Hague and New York, after a meeting in Paris that clarified a proposal to remove chemical weapons from Syria, according to the sources.
 
Kerry informed Davutoğlu about all elements that should be involved in a U.N. Security Council decision on the issue, and the scheduled meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the P5+1 was also on the agenda. 

Ankara’s Ambassador to Washington, Namık Tan, also participated in the meeting, along with foreign ministry officials Feridun Sinirlioğlu and Ömer Önhon, and advisor Ali Sarıkaya.