Davutoglu meets Salehi in Ankara

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi in Ankara yesterday on the sidelines of a previously unannounced visit, which coincided at a time of tensions escalating between Ankara and Tehran over the Syrian crisis. Salehi's visit came in the wake of a statement by Hassan Firouzabadi, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces, who said on Monday that Turkey, along with other supporters of the Syrian opposition, were responsible for the bloodshed in Syria, and that Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar may become "the victims of promoting al-Qaeda terrorism." Salehi told reporters upon his arrival that he was "not here to discuss the statements of officials" and declined to comment on Firouzabadi's statement on Turkey. "Only Turkey and Iran working together can resolve their region's conflicts, particularly the fighting in Syria," Salehi said, adding, "Without anyone of these major players I think the realization or materialization of peace and stability in the region, especially in countries like Syria, will be very difficult." Salehi also reiterated Iran's request for Turkey's help for the safe release of 48 Iranian pilgrims who were kidnapped in Syria. In return, Davutoglu pledged that Turkey would do everything in its power on humanitarian concerns. Davutoglu also told Salehi that no one could characterize Turkey as being responsible for developments in Syria and that such remarks could not be accepted. Davutoglu and Salehi also discussed developments in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Somalia and Myanmar as well as Iran's nuclear program.