Iranian FM’s Op-Ed Said to Be behind Delay in His Ankara Visit: Reports
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Media reports are fueling the speculation that a recent article by Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif published in a Turkish opposition newspaper has resulted in the postponement of his scheduled visit to Ankara.
Zarif’s planned visit to Turkey on Tuesday, which was the first leg of his second regional after, has been postponed, a Turkish foreign ministry official told media outlets.
"There has been a change in the program," the official said without giving any reason.
Although the Turkish side cited scheduling problems for the postponement, some media outlets claimed the visit was delayed because of an article Zarif penned for Turkish opposition daily Cumhuriyet.
In the piece published Tuesday, he criticized US policies in the Middle East, al-Manar reported.
Zarif referred to the United States’ so-called “Greater Middle East” project as the main source of regional problems and stressed that occupying armies will not bring about democracy.
He also underlined that extremism and violence threaten not only the Middle East but the whole world.
Turkey and the United States are NATO allies that have agreed to cooperate on Syria. Last month Turkey agreed to open up a southern base to US and coalition forces for bombings against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants.
Turkey and Iran are on opposing sides of the Syrian conflict, with western media reports stating that Ankara is one of the several countries in the region -- along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar -- that are orchestrating the conflict by supporting terrorist groups with money, logistics and training.