Turkey's Erdogan to visit Iran amid tension

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Iran in October, amid rising tension over Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) independence referendum on Sept. 25, local media said Sunday.

Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will preside at the fifth Turkey-Iran High Level Strategic Council meeting on Oct. 4 in Tehran, local Hurriyet Daily News reported.

The upcoming visit would focus on bilateral relationships and the regional developments, especially situations in Iraq and Syria, Erdogan said in a televised interview over the weekend.

The fight against terror is also an important topic, he added.

Erdogan also announced that Turkey's Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar would also pay a visit to Iran prior to his scheduled trip on Oct. 4.

The Turkey-Iran relations has revived recently, with their common interests on Kurdish issues and security cooperation. On Aug. 16, Iran's Chief of General Staff Mohammad Bagheri paid a visit to Ankara and discussed ways to fight terrorism as well as border security with his Turkish counterpart.

source: xinhua