Iran’s chief of general staff arrived in Ankara today for a three-day visit heralded by Iran's state news agency as “unprecedented” and by Turkey's Daily Sabah as a "milestone" as the two regional rivals seek to reconcile differences over Syria and Iraq and to discuss shared fears of Kurdish separatism.

Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, "citing border security and the fight against terror," told Iran’s official news agency, “This trip was necessary for better consultation and cooperation on various military and regional issues.” The visit comes ahead of a sixth round of talks between Turkey, Iran and Russia to establish so-called de-escalation zones in Syria. That meeting is planned to be held by the end of August in the Kazakh capital, Astana. It also comes a week before US Secretary of Defense James Mattis is slated to travel to Ankara, part of a regional tour. Officials involved in its planning told Al-Monitor the trip will include stops in Iraq and Qatar.

Without a doubt, Bagheri’s moves will be closely scrutinized by the Trump administration, which has embraced a markedly bellicose tone against Iran. It is already being translated into action in Syria, where US forces have moved against Iranian-backed militias and downed Iranian drones. Russia, whose own relations with Tehran are being tested over the latter’s uncompromising stance in Syria, as noted this week by Al-Monitor’s Anton Mardasov, will be interested in the outcome of the general’s parlays in Turkey as well.

Pro-government news outlets in Turkey have cast his visit in a determinedly upbeat light. The English-language Daily Sabah claimed, “The two sides are more willing than ever to reach deals in Syria and Iraq.” Quoting senior diplomatic sources in Ankara, the newspaper predicted that “firm steps are set to be taken.”