Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met March 1 in Islamabad on the sidelines of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) conference to diffuse recent tensions between their countries. Despite the photo op in the Pakistani capital, the two sides still hold opposing positions on a number of issues in the Middle East.
During the meeting, Rouhani said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran insists on the territorial integrity of countries in the region and is opposed to any kind of violation of territorial integrity, especially in Syria and Iraq.” His comment was indirectly aimed at Turkey, whose troops have crossed into both Syria and Iraq. Just before leaving for Islamabad, Erdogan said that Turkey does not plan to keep forces in Syria indefinitely and will leave at the end of military operations, which according to government officials are aimed at fighting the Islamic State and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Rouhani also addressed the war in Yemen, calling for a cease-fire and adding that talks between rival factions could resolve the issue there.
