Davutoglu: "Turkey against nuclear weapons in the region wherever they are"

Turkey doesn't want to see nuclear weapons in its region, and it is working to make sure talks between major powers and Iran in Geneva today over Tehran's suspected nuclear program go well, said Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at a weekend security conference in Bahrain. "The Middle East being a nuclear-free zone is a pillar of Turkish policy," Davutoglu said in his speech at an Institute of International Security Studies (IISS) summit. "If we have a problem or a disagreement, as with the Iranian nuclear program, the best way and only way to solve this is diplomacy." Davutoglu said more diplomacy, transparency, international efforts, and contributions from both Iran and the international community are needed to resolve the issue. Turkey is against nuclear weapons "wherever they are," he said, adding that Turkey's policy on Iran's nuclear program has been consistent. Davutoglu urged officials to boost political dialogue among countries in the region and to establish economic interdependence and respect for multicultural coexistence in cosmopolitan cities to ensure a more stable, peaceful region. On the sidelines of the summit, Davutoglu also met with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman ibn Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, and Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd.