Turkey and Iran have decided to establish security cooperation to fight terror and secure their mutual borders, according to news reports.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on Wednesday in Tehran with senior Iranian officials and is set to meet Iranian President Muhammad Khatami on Thursday.
Erdogan said the countries have decided to act together in signing a document stating that Iran designates the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) a terrorist organization.
The Iranian Vice President Reza Arif reportedly said on Wednesday that Iran was ready to do whatever necessary on the issue of the PKK, also known as Kongra-Gel.
Turkey is currently trying to strengthen political and economic ties with neighboring countries, including Iran.
The London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayyat reported that Iran has recently dealt a strong blow to Kurdish groups during clashes on the Turkish-Iranian border in what is known as Iranian Kurdistan.
Turkey has expressed its rejection of an independent Kurdish entity in or around Iraq, similar to the stand of the neighboring Iran and Syria.
Erdogan also discussed Iran’s nuclear program with the Iranians, a program which has been scrutinized by the U.N. recently and has come under criticism from the U.S. and the European Union. Erdogan said Iran displayed a “very positive approach,” and said Arif wanted the nuclear energy to be used for peaceful purposes rather than to produce weapons.
Erdogan reportedly told Arif that Iran should be more sensitive in its declarations to the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to the Turkish Daily news.