ANKARA: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi hEld talks with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara to discuss widening conflict in Gaza and energy cooperation between two neighbours.

It said two leaders would also chair Turkish-Iranian business council and that some agreements could be signed, while Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said he had discussed energy cooperation with Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji during talks in Ankara.

“We stated that our cooperation in natural gas field in particular needs to be evaluated in wider framework,” he said on X.

Turkey, which supports two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has harshly criticised Israel for its attacks on Gaza, called for an immediate ceasefire and backed legal steps for Israel to be tried for genocide.

Unlike its Western allies and some Arab nations, NATO member Turkey does not consider Palestinian group Hamas, whose October 7 attack on Israel led to retaliatory campaign on Gaza, terrorist group.

Turkey and Iran have usually had complicated ties, standing at odds over host of issues, primarily Syrian civil war.

Published in The Daily National Courier, January, 25 2024

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