08 Jan 2019; MEMO: Turkey stressed its willingness to mediate between the US and Iran as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul for the inauguration of TurkStream natural gas pipeline and to discuss escalating tensions in the Middle East and North Africa.
“Turkey will continue reiterating its call for acting with common sense and calm amid the US-Iran tension,” Erdogan’s spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin told reporters at press conference yesterday. Adding that Ankara’s main objective is to achieve a ceasefire in Libya.
“Turkey’s priority in Libya is the halt of clashes as soon as possible, and a ceasefire and we will cooperate with Russia on this issue,” he said.
Turkey has also been calling on Russia to end its support to Syria’s Bashar Al-Assad. A new influx of refugees is expected at the Turkish border as forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad move closer to Idlib. Erdogan told reporters last week “200,000 to 250,000 refugees are moving towards the Turkish border. We are trying to prevent them with some measures but it is not an easy task it is quite difficult.”
Turkey and Russia have also worked together with Iran to establish a constitutional committee in Syria. The committee began worked under the United Nations in Geneva in November and provides some hope for a political solution to the Syrian war.
In its efforts to mediate between the US and Iran, Turkey Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is expected to head to Iraq tomorrow “within the context of our intensified diplomatic efforts to alleviate the escalated tension in the aftermath of recent developments in the region,” an official statement said today.
