Hursit DingilOn November 30, Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held talks with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Masoud Pezeshkian during a crucial day-long trip to Tehran.
Fidan also met with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqir Qalibaf and Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
This visit stands out as one of the turning points in reassessing Türkiye-Iran relations, especially given the current geopolitical and economic challenges.
It also served as a prelude to the 9th meeting of the Türkiye-Iran High-Level Cooperation Council, which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to attend.
Discussions focused on key areas such as trade and energy, which are fundamental to the bilateral relationship, as well as practical steps like opening a new consulate in the eastern Turkish province of Van soon.
They emphasised the need for enhanced cooperation in connectivity, transport, and logistics, and also stressed the importance of making border crossings more efficient.
On regional security issues, both sides agreed that Israel’s regional expansion agenda, particularly in Palestine – including Gaza – and Syria, is “the number one security threat”.
Fidan reiterated Türkiye's stance against the sanctions on Iran’s civil nuclear programme, calling them unfair, and emphasised the need for a resolution in line with international law, with regional integration moving forward quickly.
Fidan described the talks as “extremely productive,” mentioning that they covered a wide range of topics crucial to both countries’ prosperity and economic interests, especially in trade and energy.
He also highlighted the need for “more effective use of borders” and “increasing the number of border gates” to boost trade.
On the connectivity front, he noted that both countries' potential in transportation and logistics is not being fully realised, and steps need to be taken to address this. The goal is to increase trade volume to $30 billion or more.
Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister, confirmed that Tehran is ready to extend its gas agreement with Türkiye and further develop energy cooperation.
Both sides also discussed the need to remove barriers to trade and investment, with technical meetings and inter-institutional talks being highlighted as necessary steps.
Shortly after the visit, Türkiye’s Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar was quoted as saying that Ankara would begin negotiations with Tehran to increase the flow of Turkmen gas through Iran.
Under a swap deal signed by Türkiye and Turkmenistan in March 2024, Turkmen gas will be sent to Iran and Türkiye, utilising Iran’s existing gas infrastructure.
This move reflects Türkiye’s efforts to strengthen regional integration by keeping Iran involved in connectivity, transport, and logistics.
Cooperation in these areas could help ease Iran’s security concerns linked to the Zangezur Corridor. Since the corridor’s designation as the ‘Trump Corridor’, especially after the 12-day war with Israel, Iran’s sense of encirclement and security concerns have only intensified.
Türkiye’s efforts reflect its consistent regional policy of “regional solutions to regional problems”.
Ankara believes that regional issues can be resolved when countries in the area address mutual insecurities and respect each other's sovereignty and security concerns.
In line with this, Araghchi’s emphasis on Syria’s territorial integrity during a joint press conference was a significant output that aligned with this approach.
A balanced and inclusive security architecture
Both Fidan and his Iranian counterpart, Araghchi, pointed out the Israeli threat during their post-meeting press conference, with the Turkish Foreign Minister calling Israel “the number one security threat” to the region.
They also discussed the situations in Syria and Gaza. In fact, during the joint press conference, Fidan urged the international community to take action to stop Israel’s expansionism via Syria and Lebanon.
Given Israel’s aggressive actions since the December 8 revolution in Syria and Lebanon, it seems that both Türkiye and Iran are moving toward a more cautious and balancing approach in dealing with Israel’s expansionist policies.
This is especially relevant since Israel carried out its first airstrike on Beirut since the November 27, 2024, Lebanon ceasefire, a worrying development in a volatile region.
In the same week as the visit, Israel reportedly prepared a new military operation in southern Lebanon and Syria.
Additionally, on November 25, Israel simulated an airstrike on Iran's western region by violating Iraq's airspace, prompting Iran to carry out its own defence drills.
The US also warned that Iraqi, Iranian-backed militia groups should stay out of any Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Despite ceasefire agreements in Lebanon and Gaza, Israel’s continued aggressive behaviour, sovereignty violations, and territorial expansions remain major sources of instability in the region.
These developments are important to consider in the context of this visit.
On a positive note, both sides agreed on the importance of continuing the ceasefire in Gaza, with Türkiye playing a mediator role, and moving to the next phase.
Araghchi also reiterated that Syria’s stability is tied to its territorial integrity, and that Israel remains the biggest threat to this goal.
Chronic regional security challenges
Beyond the Israeli issue, both countries also face chronic security challenges, particularly from terrorist organisations and irregular migration.
Türkiye has started implementing its “terror-free Türkiye” initiative, with the PKK announcing that it has laid down its weapons and disbanded.
However, the presence of terrorist organisations across borders remains a pressing issue, and the region must be cleared of such groups.
In this regard, Araghchi expressed Iran's support for Türkiye's efforts to rid the country of terrorism, which is significant in terms of bilateral counterterrorism cooperation.
Similarly, both countries have also discussed how to jointly address the security issues arising from irregular migration, especially from Afghanistan, which has added another layer to their security cooperation.
Despite various disputes over regional matters like Syria, Iraq, and the Zangezur Corridor, Fidan’s visit to Tehran shows that Türkiye and Iran are taking a careful and balanced approach to common security threats.
Both countries are increasingly focusing on areas of shared interest, like energy, connectivity, and transport, while trying to de-escalate tensions in more contentious areas.
In this regard, both Türkiye and Iran, facing shared and urgent security threats, have shown a tendency to separate contentious issues from areas like energy, connectivity, and transport, instead focusing on shared interests to strengthen regional cooperation.
This approach is helping both nations manage the regional competition, particularly after the 2020 Karabakh Victory.
Türkiye’s efforts to build a relationship model with Iran are part of its broader strategy to integrate all regional players into a restructured security framework without excluding or antagonising any countries.
Interestingly, on the day of Fidan’s visit, it was also reported that Saudi Arabia’s deputy foreign minister was in Iran.
This points to a larger trend of regional countries working together to overcome mutual mistrust and build a more integrated and balanced security framework.
