Iran, Turkey vow to work together for regional stability

The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed hope on Tuesday that their cooperation will soothe the agonies of the region.

Both Iran and Turkey believe that instability, insecurity and war should be stopped in the region, Rouhani said in a press conference following the two presidents' closed-door meeting.

Tehran and Ankara should join hands to eradicate terrorism and extremism and help brotherhood grow among the Muslim nations, Rouhani said.

"We also discussed the situation in Iraq, Syria, Palestine and Yemen," he said, adding that "we share the opinion that war and bloodshed should be stopped in the region quickly so as to help the establishment of a ceasefire."

If ceasefire in Yemen is reached, humanitarian assistance can be dispatched to the country and peace talks among the conflicting sides can be started, he said, stressing that Iran and Turkey could contribute to this process effectively.

For his part, Erdogan said it is not acceptable that hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in Syria and Iraq over the past years.

The Turkish president said Iran and Turkey should unite to stop the massacre of people in the Islamic countries in the region, adding that "we should bring the fighting sides together" for peace talks.

Iran and Turkey's relations are facing a number of challenges, including the opinion differences in the conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

In his recent remarks, Erdogan accused Tehran of aiding Shiite Houthis in Yemen, calling on Iran to pull out its forces from Yemen, Syria and Iraq.

Iran has denied its military supports to Yemen, Syria and Iraq, saying that it only provides consultation aid to those countries in the face of terrorist threats. Endit