Iran FM to visit Turkey for talks after foiled coup

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is set to pay an official visit to Turkey to hold talks with high-ranking officials of the neighboring country, which is still reeling from an abortive military coup.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said Zarif will travel to the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Friday at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

The top Iranian diplomat will hold talks with Cavusoglu and other senior Turkish officials during the trip, Qasemi added.

Bilateral ties, latest developments in the region and international issues are among the topics that are expected to be on the agenda of the meetings.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry also announced Zarif’s Friday visit to Ankara, saying in a statement that the top Iranian diplomat will be received by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at his palace.

It is the first such trip by an Iranian official to Turkey after the July 15 botched military coup.

The Islamic Republic was among the first countries to slam the coup plot and expressed support for the legitimate Turkish government.

On July 15, a faction of the Turkish military attempted to overthrow the Ankara government, commandeering tanks, helicopters and warplanes. Between 200 and 300 people were killed on all sides in the attempted coup d’état.

However, the putsch was gradually suppressed when thousands of Turkish people responded to calls of support from Erdogan and took to the streets of the country’s major cities.

Shortly following the coup attempt, Zarif and Cavusoglu exchanged views on the foiled putsch in three separate phone calls.

Zarif expressed his “deep concern” about the ongoing coup attempt in neighboring Turkey, saying the region is no place for putsches.

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