Erdogan’s intentions at the high-level meeting in Tehran

This is only his second trip abroad since Russian tanks rolled into the neighboring country in February. Mr. Putin will hold talks with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on some of the most pressing issues facing the region. This includes the conflict in Syria and a UN-backed proposal to resume Ukrainian wheat exports to ease the global food crisis.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to overcome Iranian and Russian opposition to Turkey’s military operation in Syria. The meeting also comes as Mr Erdogan seeks to finalize a deal to export Ukrainian wheat blocked by Russia. Voice of America correspondent Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.

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A Turkish military operation against Kurdish militants in Syria is expected to top the agenda of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in meetings with his Iranian and Russian counterparts in Tehran on Tuesday.

The Turkish military is deploying troops to target Kurdish YPG fighters in Syria, who Ankara claims are linked to Kurdish rebels fighting Turkey.

((Atilla Yesilada, Global Source Partners MALE IN ENGLISH – VOA))

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“Iran has been quite vocal in opposing the Turkish military campaign in Syria; maybe Erdogan will try to solve the issue there”, says Atilla Yesilada with the organization Global Source Partners.
With Turkish forces already controlling much of Syria along Turkey’s border, Tehran is wary of Ankara’s growing influence in a country it considers a close ally.

Erdogan’s efforts to overcome Iranian opposition are complicated by his efforts to reach out to Israel and Saudi Arabia, both of Iran’s rivals.

Iran and Turkey have a long history of rivalry between them, but analysts see the fact that President Erdogan is visiting Tehran as a sign that a deal could be reached.

((Aydin Selcen, Former Diplomat – MALE IN ENGLISH VOA))

“They don’t invite Erdogan to Tehran and then insult him by saying that if you will have good relations with the Saudis and Israelis, then you will not be welcome here. I don’t think it will be like this”, says former diplomat Aydin Selcen.

With Russian forces controlling Syrian airspace, Mr Erdogan also needs Putin’s cooperation.

The two leaders are also expected to discuss efforts to secure an agreement to export blocked Ukrainian wheat to world markets.

((Zaur Gasimov, Bonn University MALE IN ENGLISH – VOA))

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“These two aspects of Ukrainian and Syrian grain exports are very closely related to each other; have always been. And the negotiations will show whether the actors, Turkey and Russia, are able to bargain over this entire geography of their interaction,” says Zaur Gasimov with Bonn University.
Turkey recently hosted a quadrilateral meeting with Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations, where officials said they had made progress on exporting wheat stuck in Ukrainian ports.

Analysts see Erdogan’s meeting with Putin as key to continuing diplomatic efforts to secure an agreement on wheat. They say the meeting also underscores the Turkish leader’s growing diplomatic prowess.

((Aydin Selcen, Former Diplomat – MALE IN ENGLISH VOA))

“Erdogan went to Saudi Arabia and is happy to talk with both Zelenskyy and Putin, and he would talk in Tehran, even with the Israeli president if he was invited. So, Erdogan will try, or the meetings will emphasize Erdogan’s dexterity and usefulness in the diplomacy of the region”, says Aydin Selcen.

President Erdogan faces criticism from his Western allies for close ties with Iranian and Russian leaders. But analysts say the Turkish president is likely to rely on Tehran to remind critics of how important those ties are.

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