Turkey and Iran have common interests in Northern Iraq: Gül

Speaking at a joint press conference with visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, Gül said that the two had discussed their common concerns over Iraq during their Sunday meeting, adding that Ankara and Tehran were following developments in the region closely.
Both Turkey and Iran are opposed to the forming of an independent Kurdish state in Northern Iraq, and are concerned at recent Iraqi Kurdish advances towards the oil rich towns of Mosul and Kirkuk.
Iran favoured the continued protection of Iraq’s territorial integrity, and that they were opposed to establishment of a separate government in the north or elsewhere, Kharrazi said.
He also stressed that Tehran’s opposition to the war in Iraq did not mean that it was supporting the regime of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and that Iran was among the countries which had suffered the most at the hands of the Iraqis over a period of many years.
Relations between Iran and Turkey were now on a sound footing, Gül said, adding that efforts were being put in place to strengthen ties even further.
“The temporary difficulties we faced have been overcome,” he said. “A good position has been established in the fields of security, politics and economy and we are focusing on the opportunities to develop these relations.”