Turkish Ambassador to Iran Reza Hakan Tekin[/caption]TEHRAN (FNA)- Turkish Ambassador to Iran Reza Hakan Tekin underlined that despite their few differences, Tehran and Ankara pursue the same goal of establishing peace and ending bloodshed in Syria.
"There are some differences in the viewpoints of Turkey and Iran, but what makes us hopeful is that Turkey and Iran's ultimate goal on Syria is the same and both countries want an end to bloodshed and restoration of peace in Syria," Hakan Tekin told FNA on Monday.
"We seek a political and not a military solution to the crisis," he added.
"We have not yet lost our hope and try to have the interests of everyone (in Syria) materialized and the bloodshed stopped," Hakan Tekin underscored.
Both Iran and Turkey are influential countries in the region and their closer cooperation would be crucial to end regional crises.
Iranian and Turkish officials in a meeting in October voiced concern over the recent bloodshed in Iraq and Syria, and stressed the need for boosting cooperation to find peaceful ways to put an immediate end to such crises in the region.
In a meeting between Iran's Ambassador to Ankara Alireza Bigdeli and Turkish Acting Deputy Foreign Minister Umit Yalcin, the two officials called for regular consultations to expand cooperation between the two governments to help crisis-hit countries in the region overcome their security problems.
The two officials said that consultations and regional cooperation would help the Iranian and Turkish governments restore peace and tranquility to the Middle-East.
Meantime, senior Iraqi and Syrian officials have repeatedly criticized Turkey over links to the militants, including Turkish involvement in buying oil from both the ISIL and al-Nusra Front.
A UN report said in December that Turkey was being used as a main route for smuggling weapons to terrorist groups operating in Iraq and Syria.
Militant groups such as the ISIL and the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front in Iraq and Syria had been receiving weapons and equipment smuggled primarily by routes that run through Turkey", read a report by the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Implementation Monitoring Team.
By Fars News Agency
