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Putin, Erdogan's visits to Tehran mirror changing geopolitical dynamics
Last Updated: 2022-07-21 00:31 | Xinhua
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by Xinhua writer Gao Wencheng

Iran's capital Tehran on Tuesday brought together Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and their Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, for trilateral talks on Syria and bilateral meetings on more topics of mutual interest.

Analysts said that the intensive diplomatic interactions in one day were arranged against the backdrop of unfolding international and regional dynamics, and bear significance way beyond the three countries.

COORDINATION ON SYRIAN CRISIS

As guarantor countries of the Astana process, which was initiated in 2017 for peace in Syria, they differ in their positions on the Syrian conflict. Moscow and Tehran have been key allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Ankara has backed the Syrian rebels.

The Tehran Summit followed Türkiye's announcement of its intention to launch a new operation in the neighboring country against Syria's Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), raising alarm in Russia and Iran.

"Türkiye, Russia and Iran already have differences on the Syrian issue, and these developments around Syria have further prompted them to communicate and coordinate," said Wang Jin, a Middle East expert at Northwest University of China.

On Tuesday, Erdogan pledged to continue to fight "terrorist organizations," and expected Russia and Iran to "side with Türkiye in this fight," a move widely seen as an effort to press his case for a military offensive against the YPG, which Türkiye regards as the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). PKK has been listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye.

Yet, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday warned against any "military attack on Syria." He told Erdogan in their meeting that such an operation against Syria "would be harmful to Syria, harmful to Türkiye, and harmful to the region, and it would be to the benefit of the terrorists."

In their joint statement after their summit, the three presidents "rejected all attempts to create new realities on the ground under the pretext of combating terrorism," and expressed their determination to "stand against separatist agendas aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria as well as threatening the national security of neighboring countries," appearing to include concerns of different sides.

ENERGY COOPERATION, ANTI-TERROR FIGHT

In his meeting with Putin, Khamenei urged the two countries to "increase mutual cooperation on a daily basis," notably in the oil and gas sectors.

Ahead of Putin's visit to Tehran, the National Iranian Oil Company and Russia's gas giant Gazprom signed a memorandum of understanding, under which the latter is expected to make an investment worth roughly 40 billion U.S. dollars in Iran's petroleum industry.

Iran is an important energy producer and exporter in the Middle East, and Türkiye is a gas and oil transit connecting the Middle East and Europe. Russia's more interaction and consensus with the two countries could help it wrestle with the U.S.-led West in the geopolitics of energy, analysts said.

The fight against terrorism has also emerged as a hot topic when leaders charted the future of bilateral ties of their countries. For instance, Raisi told Putin that their "serious cooperation" in anti-terrorism has shown "their sincerity and determination in this field."

The Iranian president also underscored the importance of maintaining security on Iran's common border with Türkiye in his joint press conference with Erdogan, saying terrorism must be fought against in all of its manifestations.

"Cooperation between Tehran, Moscow and Ankara can help bring sustainable peace and lasting security to the region," Iran's English daily Tehran Times commented.

PURSUIT OF STRATEGIC AUTONOMY

The visits of Putin and Erdogan to Tehran came only days after U.S. President Joe Biden's first Middle East trip, during which Washington failed to rally support to counter what it called the "Iranian threat."

Both Biden's regional tour which ended on a low note and Iran's subsequent hosting of Russian and Turkish presidents have indicated that more countries tend to make decisions in their own interests, instead of following the agendas dictated by the United States, analysts said.

The United States is "not the big bully anymore, and therefore, cannot decide for the region's future," the Tehran Times said, adding that Biden's visit to the region also showed that "the U.S. interventionist policies in the region have backfired."

Over the past decades, Iran's strained ties with some regional countries left Washington sufficient room to pressure Tehran through sanctions and isolation policy, analysts said. But things are changing with more intra-regional visits recently.

This explains why Anwar Gargash, a senior diplomatic advisor to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) president, said during Biden's visit to the Middle East, that the UAE is working to send an ambassador to Tehran to thaw relations.

"It's abundantly pleasing to witness one of the most vibrant and dynamic episodes of the Islamic Republic of Iran's foreign policy in spite of complicated global and regional conditions and the enemies' failed efforts in spreading Iranophobia," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian wrote on Tuesday.

(Editor:Fu Bo)

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Putin, Erdogan's visits to Tehran mirror changing geopolitical dynamics
Source:Xinhua | 2022-07-21 00:31
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