Turkish parliament speaker in Tehran to discuss Syria

Sat Sep 21, 2013 19:31:44

Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek has arrived in the Iranian capital at the head of a high-ranking parliamentary delegation to discuss the Syrian crisis with officials of the Islamic Republic.

Cicek arrived in Tehran on Saturday and was welcomed by First Vice Speaker of Iran’s Majlis Mohammad Reza Bahonar at Mehrabad International Airport.

The Turkish speaker’s visit comes at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Ali Larijani.

During his two-day visit, Cicek is scheduled to meet and hold talks with President Hassan Rouhani, Larijani and other Iranian officials on a number of issues including the Syrian crisis.

Hossein Sheikholeslam, Larijani’s advisor on international affairs, said earlier this month that the Turkish parliament speaker would discuss recent regional developments with senior Iranian officials.

“The latest regional developments and expansion of parliamentary ties and [relations] in other fields are among issues which will be discussed during the meetings,” he said.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011.

A very large number of the militants operating inside Syria are reportedly foreign nationals. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies, especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

HH/HH

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