Iran respects outcome of Turkish presidential election
A member of the Iranian Parliament said that whoever is elected as the next Turkish president in the imminent second round of elections will represent the majority of the Turkish people and, as such, will be acknowledged by Iran.
In an exclusive interview with Iran Daily, Shahriar Heydari said that regardless of the outcome of this presidential election, the Islamic Republic only aims to develop and deepen its relations with Turkey.
“We hold no bias, and favor no candidate, in Turkey’s elections,” Heydari maintained, adding that the only thing that matters to Tehran is to see the will of the Turkish nation realized.
“Therefore, whoever they choose will naturally be backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran as the next Turkish president.”
After neither the sitting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, nor his rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu cleared the threshold to win outright on May 14, the presidential race is to be taken to the second round on May 28.
The member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament pointed out that the future of Turkey is important to Iran.
“Having peace and security in Turkey is important to us, since it impacts peace and security in the whole region,” Heydari said, expressing Iran’s readiness to help its neighboring country “however we can”.
Referring to the amicable relations between the two countries, he noted that the Turkish government uniformly considers Iran to be a good neighbor and a significant actor in the region’s developments.
“During his years in office, President Erdogan always sought to expand ties with all countries and cared most about the national interests of Turkey,” the Iranian MP stated.
Acknowledging that not all Turks were satisfied with Erdogan’s performance, Heydari described Ankara under his presidency as a “good neighbor to Tehran” owing to Erdogan’s positive view toward Iran.
Heydari expressed hope that whether Erdogan or Kilicdaroglu is elected to be Turkey’s president in the upcoming election, the bilateral cooperation between Iran and Turkey would continue and their ties would deepen and expand more than ever since Tehran and Ankara are two of the most important and influential actors in the region.