President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye and Iran highlighted the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation against PKK/PYD/YPG terrorists and PJAK, which threaten the security of both countries and the region, as the two leaders met in Ankara for talks on Wednesday.
Speaking at a joint news conference after a ceremony, in which the two leaders signed 10 agreements between the two countries, Erdoğan said he condemns once again the recent terrorist attack in Kerman on Jan. 3.
"I want to express that Türkiye stands by Iran in the fight against terrorism," he said.
The PKK terrorists pose a threat to regional security. It's Syrian offshoot YPG controls large parts of northern Syria and is regarded by Washington as an important ally against Daesh despite its NATO ally Turkey's major security concerns and warnings.
He noted that they discussed the need for the cessation of Israel's "inhumane" attacks on Gaza, and the facilitation of fair and permanent peace.
Reminding that Türkiye has sent over 30,000 tons of humanitarian aid for Palestinians to Al Arish port in northeastern Egypt, including 26,000 tons of flour, since Oct. 7, Erdoğan said: "We reiterated our support for the just cause of Palestine and reaffirmed our commitment to continue collaboration on this matter."
Both presidents also exchanged views on the recent developments in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and South Caucasus during the meeting, he said.
"The Palestinian issue is in the focus of Türkiye and Iran," he added.
"We came to an agreement on the importance of refraining from steps that would endanger security and stability in our region," he said.
Israel has killed more than 25,000 people in the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.
The offensive has left 85% of Gaza's population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while more than half of the enclave's infrastructure is damaged or destroyed, according to the U.N.
For his part, Raisi said Tehran has good relations with Ankara and wants to further enhance these relations to even higher levels in the future.
He called the Turkish nation's stance, and support against oppression on Palestinian issues "praiseworthy."
"President Erdoğan and I are in agreement regarding Palestinian cause and recognition of rights of Palestinian people," he said.
The two countries signed 10 cooperation agreements following the 8th Meeting of the Türkiye-Iran High-Level Cooperation Council at the Presidential Complex. The agreements included cooperation in the fields of energy, free trade, media and communications, transportation and infrastructure, science and technology, culture and tourism, and police academy.
