ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – High level military visits between Turkey and Iran are expected to continue as the two have agreed to work together against shared threats and regional developments in both Iraq and Syria. Chief of Staff of the Turkish armed forces Hulusi Akar is to visit Tehran after he met with his Iranian counterpart last week in Ankara.
“Regarding the prevention of terrorists crossing the shared borders, good agreements were made and also in the future the chief of the Turkish military will visit Iran,” General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, head of Iran’s armed forces said on Monday as he inspected a defense fair in Iran, according to BBC Persian.
“Also regarding Iraq, the issue of the possibility of holding the referendum in the north of this country was also discussed where the two sides had the view that the geopolitics of Iraq should in no way be changed,” Bagheri added.
He did not mention any agreements on joint military action between Iran and Turkey against Kurdish groups.
However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated Monday that Ankara and Tehran have agreed to conduct what he called “joint action” against the fighters of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) and its sister party in Iran, PJAK.
Bagheri met with Erdogan during his visit to Ankara last week. The Turkish president said they discussed military action.
"Joint action against terrorist groups that have become a threat is always on the agenda. This issue has been discussed between the two military chiefs, and I discussed more broadly how this should be carried out," Reuters quoted Erdogan as telling reporters before boarding a plane bound for Jordan on an official visit.
Bagheri said Iran welcomes fortifications and measures taken by Turkey along their shared border to fight what he called illegal smuggling of goods, human trafficking, and “terrorist acts.”
Among other measures, Turkey has planned to construct a wall on its border with Iran, similar to what it has done on its border with Syria.
Bagheri made a rare visit to Ankara last week, the first such visit by a chief of the Iranian army since Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979.
The Iranian general had earlier said that both Turkey and Iran shared the view that the Kurdistan independence referendum planned for September 25 should not take place.
Kurdistan's Peshmerga ministry then published a statement calling his remarks “a blatant intervention in the internal affairs of Kurdistan,” saying that only the people of Kurdistan are entitled to have a say on the issue of the referendum.
“Regarding the prevention of terrorists crossing the shared borders, good agreements were made and also in the future the chief of the Turkish military will visit Iran,” General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, head of Iran’s armed forces said on Monday as he inspected a defense fair in Iran, according to BBC Persian.
“Also regarding Iraq, the issue of the possibility of holding the referendum in the north of this country was also discussed where the two sides had the view that the geopolitics of Iraq should in no way be changed,” Bagheri added.
He did not mention any agreements on joint military action between Iran and Turkey against Kurdish groups.
However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated Monday that Ankara and Tehran have agreed to conduct what he called “joint action” against the fighters of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) and its sister party in Iran, PJAK.
Bagheri met with Erdogan during his visit to Ankara last week. The Turkish president said they discussed military action.
"Joint action against terrorist groups that have become a threat is always on the agenda. This issue has been discussed between the two military chiefs, and I discussed more broadly how this should be carried out," Reuters quoted Erdogan as telling reporters before boarding a plane bound for Jordan on an official visit.
Bagheri said Iran welcomes fortifications and measures taken by Turkey along their shared border to fight what he called illegal smuggling of goods, human trafficking, and “terrorist acts.”
Among other measures, Turkey has planned to construct a wall on its border with Iran, similar to what it has done on its border with Syria.
Bagheri made a rare visit to Ankara last week, the first such visit by a chief of the Iranian army since Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979.
The Iranian general had earlier said that both Turkey and Iran shared the view that the Kurdistan independence referendum planned for September 25 should not take place.
Kurdistan's Peshmerga ministry then published a statement calling his remarks “a blatant intervention in the internal affairs of Kurdistan,” saying that only the people of Kurdistan are entitled to have a say on the issue of the referendum.
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