Davutoglu holds contacts with Rouhani in Iran

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who went to Tehran on August 4 to attend Iran’s new President Hasan Rouhani’s oath-taking ceremony held bilateral talks with several politicians, including Iran’s new President Hasan Rouhani. Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Davutoglu said that they agreed to further develop relations between the two countries, adding that he has invited Rouhani to Turkey. Stating that they have discussed the Syria issue in detail during the meeting, Davutoglu said, “We will come together hopefully in the upcoming period for a more detailed meeting. We have reached an agreement that there is a common ground as part of principles of democracy and security." In response to a reporter’s question about which issues were on the agenda at the meeting with the Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Nachirvan Barzani in Ankara last week, Davutoglu said, “They and we both share the opinion that Kurds are an important factor for the construction of peace in Syria and that this is only possible if all the Kurdish groups join the Syrian opposition. Mr. Barzani shares the same point-of-view. We agreed with him that we will be in solidarity with them for our Kurdish brothers to take the place that they deserve first in the Syrian opposition and then in a permanent structure in Syria."