site.btaErdogan and von der Leyen Discuss Close EU-Turkiye Cooperation on Iran

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a telephone conversation in which they expressed their desire to continue close cooperation between Turkiye and the European Union regarding the situation in Iran, according to official Facebook profiles of the Directorate of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkiye and the EU Delegation to Turkiye.

"President Erdogan emphasized that Turkiye is ready to provide all forms of support for a return to multilateral diplomacy and negotiations. Erdogan stated that it is important for close cooperation between Turkiye and the European Union to continue throughout this process," the Directorate of Communications said in a statement regarding the call.

Von der Leyen described the telephone conversation with the Turkish president as extremely important, the EU Delegation in Turkiye noted.

"The instability in the region that we are witnessing deeply affects both the European Union and Turkiye. That is why close cooperation is essential. Today, both of us [with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan] shared our assessment of the situation, remain in contact with key regional partners, and discussed the steps that could be taken to reduce tensions," von der Leyen said. The European Commission President also welcomed Turkiye's willingness to act as a mediator in resolving the issues peacefully.

She added: "We agree that diplomacy is the only viable solution to make progress. I am grateful to President Erdogan for preparing for the potential impact of this crisis on migration. We are already closely cooperating on the Syrian issue."