Iranian deputy minister in Ankara for Syria, PKK talks

[Aslan]

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi was in Ankara on May 23 for a meeting with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, with the Syrian crisis and withdrawal of members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) at the top of the agenda.

Araqchi’s visit to the Turkish capital comes at a time when the international diplomacy on Syria has gained more momentum in the run-up to the Geneva II Conference. Only days before his meeting with Davutoğlu, Araqchi voiced on May 21 his country’s willingness to attend the conference. Also this week, Araqchi was straightforward about expressing Tehran’s uneasiness with the state of affairs surrounding the withdrawal of the PKK militants from Turkish soil. The withdrawal from Turkey into northern Iraq should have been approved by Tehran and Baghdad beforehand, he said.