Larijani meets with Gul, Erdogan and Cicek

As part of his visit to Ankara, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani yesterday started his contacts with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Stating that Western countries attempt to prevent Iran's transition to nuclear energy, Larijani thanked Turkey for its efforts on the issue. In response to Larijani, Davutoglu stated Ankara was happy to see that nuclear talks will resume again in Turkey. Saying that Iran also has certain responsibilities on the issue, Davutoglu urged that any conflict at the Strait of Hormuz should be avoided. Larijani was also received by Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek, who said that some people who are exerting efforts to create problems in relations between Turkey and Iran should not be allowed to do so. "We believe that mischief making is worse than murder," Cicek said. In response to this, Larijani said that Iran and Turkey shared similar observations on regional problems. Larijani was also received by President Abdullah Gul at a meeting, during which Gul said that everyone has to fulfill his responsibilities to ensure that problems are solved through diplomatic ways. Larijani also visited Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan following his contacts at the Cankaya Presidential Palace. As part of contacts held by Larijani with Turkish leaders, four issues were mainly discussed. Within this framework, officials reiterated that NATO's early warning radar as part of its missile shield system doesn't target a specific country. Secondly, the Syria issue was discussed with Turkish officials, who expressed concerns over the developments in that country. Officials also agreed that contacts with Iran should be increased. As for Syria and Iraq, officials said that developments focusing on sectarian issues would not serve to stability in the Middle East.