Upon the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the Republic of Türkiye, President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi of the Islamic Republic of Iran paid an official visit to the Republic of Türkiye on January 24, 2024, which corresponded to 4 Bahman 1402. On the occasion of the visit, the 8th Meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council between the Republic of Türkiye and the Islamic Republic of Iran was held with the participation of the Ministers, the list of whom is annexed hereto.
The Parties, in the light of their traditional relations based on mutual respect, common interests, friendship, and deep-rooted cultural and historical ties, as well as the current regional and global developments, and by
Noting with satisfaction that the meetings of the Türkiye-Iran High-Level Cooperation Council established in 2014 have evolved into a useful institutional mechanism for further development of their relations,
Reiterating their resolute political will to expand their relations in all fields through reciprocal high-level visits and strengthening inter-communal contacts,
Underscoring the advantages of the ongoing high-level dialogue between the two nations over bilateral issues and regional developments,
Affirming that the two countries, given their current potential, have ample opportunities for strengthening their political, economic, cultural, scientific and security cooperation, as well as collaboration on regional issues,
Stressing the significance of cooperation in international organisations and platforms such as the United Nations, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, ECO, D-8, Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), and Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), of which both countries are members,
Further emphasising the importance of global and regional cooperation for the peaceful settlement of global and regional conflicts and the need for just, non-discriminatory and humanitarian-based approaches to transform the current international order into a fairer one,
Reiterating their commitment to jointly combat terrorism in all its concrete forms and manifestations, which has become one of the major concerns of our time and has also caused great damage to the region in which both countries are located, have
Decided to fully benefit from the bilateral mechanisms and agreements in force, in particular the Joint Economic Commission, the cooperation agreements and committees in the fields of security, transport, customs, border and agriculture, with a view to implementing their provisions in full and further increasing their number in areas of need,
Reiterated their determination to achieve a trade volume of 30 billion USD and to ensure stable and long-term economic and commercial cooperation, in the light of their considerable potential in the fields of economic and commercial cooperation,
Agreed to collaborate to effectively use and expand the investment areas in their countries by promoting reciprocal investments, to create a business-friendly environment for reciprocal investments, to settle various problems of current investors, and to provide incentives to the private sectors of both countries,
Emphasised the importance of the existing cooperation in the field of energy, such as natural gas and electricity,
Having regard to the strategic position and pivotal role of the two countries in the transportation of goods and passengers as each other's gateways to Europe and Asia, emphasised their will to strengthen and support regional communication, facilitate road, rail and multi-modal transit of transport corridors, reinforce border trade, establish new border connections and encourage the private sector to invest jointly in their infrastructure,
In view of the growing inter-communal relations between the two countries, agreed to foster consular cooperation and hold regular committee meetings to discuss legal and judicial problems of their nationals in the framework of current bilateral agreements,
Reaffirmed that it is in the interest of both countries to make full use of existing cooperation mechanisms against all terrorist groups and any extension of them along their common borders and elsewhere, and to ensure result-oriented cooperation in the fight against terrorism, smuggling of goods and weapons, illicit drug trafficking and organised crimes,
Emphasising the right of all countries to peaceful exploitation of nuclear energy under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), highlighted the necessity for all relevant actors to adopt a constructive stance based on good faith in order to resume full undertaking of the JCPOA commitments by all Parties,
Underscored that the successful conclusion of the JCPOA process could set a good precedent for the settlement of disputes through multilateral diplomacy and would contribute to the further expansion of economic relations between the Parties,
Stressed the importance of continuing bilateral cooperation in the field of environment, including but not limited to “zero waste”, conservation of biodiversity, as well as sustainable and effective use of water and land resources, with a view to sustainable development,
Underlined the value of their bilateral relations and cooperation in the fields of culture, archives, education, science, youth and sports under the Cultural Agreement of 1959 between the two countries, as well as the ongoing exchange of high-level delegations between the two countries in these fields,
Reiterated their determination to further enhance their cooperation in the sphere of higher education and to form a joint expert committee to broaden bilateral scientific and educational collaboration,
Expressed their will to build constructive cooperation in the sphere of media by making use of the Joint Committee and executing existing agreements,
Pointed out their strong condemnation of the repeated acts of burning copies of the Holy Quran, the escalating Islamophobia, and the populist rhetoric that incites abuse and aggression against religion.
Welcomed the adoption by the United Nations of resolutions recognising attacks against holy books as acts of religious hatred and violations of international law,
Reaffirming their total rejection of all manifestations of hate speech, including Islamophobia, agreed to maintain close cooperation with international organisations, including the United Nations and the OIC,
Expressing profound concern about the deteriorating situation in Gaza since October 7, 2023, and in the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, strongly denounced the brutal attacks targeting Palestinian civilians,
Called for an immediate halt to the attacks by Israeli forces on Gaza and called on all responsible parties to immediately and fully comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, especially regarding the protection of civilians,
Demanded the immediate and unconditional lifting of the oppressive blockade of the Gaza Strip and the immediate, adequate and unobstructed delivery of essential goods and services to civilians throughout the Gaza Strip,
Recognised the legitimate and indispensable rights of the Palestinian people, particularly self-defense,
Supported the formation of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital to create a just and sustainable solution to the conflict by emphasising the fundamental and well-known rights of the Palestinian people,
Declared that to confront the impunity of the political and military leadership of Israel, they will conduct bilateral and multilateral cooperation to ensure accountability of Israeli officials before competent courts of law for the war crimes and all other kinds of atrocities they committed in Gaza,
Welcomed the South African government’s legal action against Israel before the International Court of Justice under its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948,
While underlining their common will as Astana partners to preserve the calm on the ground, reconfirmed their commitment to the territorial integrity, unity, and sovereignty of Syria and reiterated that the only way for a lasting and sustainable solution to the Syrian crisis is through a political process under relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, including 2254.
Reaffirmed the importance they attach to Iraq's territorial integrity, political unity, and sovereignty, as well as their appreciation to the current government, which has achieved relative stability in the country and its efforts to improve accountability, reconstruction, and development,
Stressed their common expectations from Iraq as well as their will to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism,
Reaffirmed the importance of the 3+3 Regional Platform, which serves as a convenient forum based on respect to the territorial integrity of the regional countries for constructive dialogue, consultation, and cooperation between the member countries of the Platform, as well as their support to such initiatives that promote regional ownership,
Noted that practical and constructive engagement with the current authorities of Afghanistan is required to address the challenges emanating from that country, including the establishment of an inclusive, responsible, and accountable government in Afghanistan representing all the people of Afghanistan and providing security to them without ethnic and sectarian discrimination,
Stressed the importance of meaningful participation and inclusion of women in Afghanistan from all walks of life, which is indispensable for sustainable social and economic development,
Emphasised the significance of a holistic fight against all terrorist groups in Afghanistan, also emphasised the need to fight against drug trafficking sustainably and to find alternative agricultural crops for substituting narcotic production, to fight against human trafficking and the illegal movement of Afghan nationals to neighbouring and regional countries and beyond, enabling the safe, voluntary and dignified return of all irregular Afghan migrants, and to make use of shared resources in keeping with good neighbourly relations,
Agreed to increase their consultations on Afghanistan at the technical level,
Reaffirmed their support for the territorial integrity of Yemen and for efforts to help find a lasting political solution to the Yemen crisis, including the efforts by the United Nations to reach a roadmap to this end,
Expressed their hope that the Yemeni parties will conclude an agreement as soon as possible and implement it effectively to bring permanent peace and stability to Yemen,
Emphasised sending urgent aid by the international community, including food, medicine, and other essential items to the Yemeni people,
While emphasising the importance of maintaining the security of shipping in regional and international waters, including the Red Sea, the two sides considered the intensification of regional tensions and current situation in the Red Sea as the result of Israel’s brutal aggression against the people of Gaza and stressed that in order to return to normal conditions in the region, decisive measures must be taken to prevent Israeli crimes,
Expressed the urgent need for a just and viable peace to be achieved through negotiations in Ukraine and efforts to address the global and regional negative impacts of the conflict, which continuously surge as the war further protracts.
In light of the above and on the occasion of the Eighth Meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council, the following documents were signed in the presence of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye and Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran:
1) Memorandum of Understanding on Scientific, Industrial and Technological Cooperation between the Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Türkiye and the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran
2) Declaration of Intent on Cooperation between the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the 2025 Reciprocal Year of Culture
3) Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Fields of Media and Communication between the Directorate of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance of the Islamic Republic of Iran
4) Memorandum of Understanding between the Police Academy of Republic of Türkiye and Amin Police University of the Islamic Republic of Iran
5) Framework Agreement on Railway Transportation between the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure for the Government of the Republic of Türkiye and the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development for the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran
6) Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Free Zones between the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye and the Supreme Council of Free Trade-Industrial and Special Economic Zones of the Islamic Republic of Iran
7) Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Recognition and Exchange of National Driving Licences between the Government of the Republic of Türkiye and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran
8) Memorandum of Understanding on Assignment of Armed Flight Security Officer between the Government of the Republic of Türkiye and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran
9) Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Energy Sector between the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Türkiye and the Ministry of Petroleum of the Islamic Republic of Iran
10) Operating Agreement between Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEİAŞ) and Iran Grid Management Company (IGMC)
ANNEX: LIST OF MINISTERS
Republic of Türkiye
HAKAN FİDAN - MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
ALPARSLAN BAYRAKTAR - MINISTER OF ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
OSMAN AŞKIN BAK - MINISTER OF YOUTH AND SPORTS, CO-CHAIRMAN OF JOINT ECONOMIC COMMISSION
ALİ YERLİKAYA - MINISTER OF INTERIOR
MEHMET ŞİMŞEK - MINISTER OF TREASURY AND FINANCE
MEHMET NURİ ERSOY - MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM
YAŞAR GÜLER - MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENCE
İBRAHİM YUMAKLI - MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
ÖMER BOLAT - MINISTER OF TRADE
ABDULKADIR URALOĞLU - MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Islamic Republic of Iran
HOSSEIN AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN - MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
MEHRDAD BAZRPASH - MINISTER OF ROADS AND URBANISATION, CO-CHAIRMAN OF JOINT ECONOMIC COMMISSION
AHMAD WAHIDI - MINISTER OF INTERIOR
MOHAMMAD REZA ASHTIANI - MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND ARMED FORCES LOGISTICS
MINISTER OF PETROLEUM
MOHAMMAD MEHDI ESMAEILI - MINISTER OF CULTURE AND ISLAMIC GUIDANCE
MOHAMMAD ALI NIKBAKHT - MINISTER OF AGRICULTURAL MOBILISATION