Earlier this
week, Iranian General Mohammad Baqeri, Chief of Staff of the Armed
Forces of Iran and the nation's most senior military official, visited
Ankara to meet Turkish high-ranking officials, including President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan and Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli.
According
to Turkish media, this was the first time since Iran's 1979 Islamic
Revolution that an Iranian chief of staff visited Turkey. It may signal
an increase in cooperation between Ankara and Tehran.
In turn, Baqeri was quited as saying that "regional developments and
security issues" were the reasons for the visit, according to Iranian
state television.
Media
also reported that the main issues on the agenda at the Ankara talks
were the situation in Syria, the Kurdish problem and border security.
Sputnik Turkey sat down with Bilgehan Alagöz, a political analyst with the Istanbul-based Marmara University, to discuss the visit and its possible consequences for Turkey-Iran ties and the situation in the region.
"In terms of security, relations between Ankara
and Tehran have a long history, but over the last six years they have
seen a number of crises. The reason is the differences between their
position over the Syrian problem. And this is the first reason
behind such a high-profile visit. Moreover, Turkey’s security
cooperation with Iran has been limited due to the fact that Ankara is a
NATO member. But the recent developments in the region have prompted
both countries to increase security cooperation," Alagöz said.
Commenting
on border security issues between Turkey and Iran, the analyst pointed
out that the main factor is the activities of the Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK) and its affiliates.
"The Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), an
anti-government offshoot of the PKK in Iran, has long been a major
security concern for Tehran. The situation in Iraq and Syria resulted
in increased Kurdish activities along the Turkish-Iranian border. This
may be the main factor behind Turkey and Ankara increasing military
cooperation," Alagöz explained.
Earlier this month, Ankara started the construction of a massive wall along the border with Iran.
Commenting
on the initiative, the expert said that the wall is aimed at protecting
the Turkish-Iranian border against the Kurdish threat.
"Ankara and Tehran also want to develop trade ties, but Kurdish
activities along the border remain a problem, including attacks and
provocations. Turkey and Iran expect this wall to improve the situation.
I think despite the fact that there have been no statements from the
Iranian government, it is rather positive about this measure," the
expert said.
Speaking further, Alagöz suggested that Ankara and Tehran will
probably try to work out a common strategy to deal with the Kurdish
problem.
"Baqeri was appointed a year ago. It was
reported that his priority task would be countering groups and
organizations threatening Iran’s national interests. Since his
appointment Tehran and Ankara has made progress in security cooperation.
I guess that both countries will prioritize the development of a common
policy on Kurdish groups operating in border areas," the expert
concluded.
