Turkish FM in Tehran for official visit

Monitoring Desk

TEHRAN: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu arrived in the Iranian capital Tehran for an official visit on Wednesday, according to a diplomatic source.

He met his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif to discuss bilateral relations as well as the status of Jerusalem, according to the source speaking on condition of anonymity due to restriction on talking to the media.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping East Jerusalem that has been occupied by Israel since 1967, might eventually serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.

U.S. President Donald Trump last December recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and by doing so triggered international outcry. Cavusoglu is also expected to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as part of his official visit, the source added.

During the meeting bilateral and regional issues as well as Syria are expected to be discussed. The official visit comes after the Sochi talks held in the southern Russian city on Jan. 29-30.

At the Sochi meeting — which included representatives from Syria and the guarantor countries Russia, Iran, and Turkey — a proposal to form a constitutional committee was agreed by all parties.