Turkey, Iran should develop common perspective to end conflicts, PM says in Tehran

Turkey and Iran, two countries on opposite sides of Syria's civil war, must develop a "common perspective" in order to end sectarian strife in the region, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu said during a visit to Tehran on March 5.

Iran, along with Russia, has stood by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the five-year war, providing him with military and financial support, while Turkey is his most outspoken critic.

"We may have different views, but we cannot change our history or our geography," Davuto?lu was quoted as saying by Reuters, standing alongside Iranian Vice-President Eshagh Jahangiri.

"It is extremely important for Turkey and Iran to develop some common perspectives in order to end our region's fight among brothers, to stop the ethnic and sectarian conflicts," he said, adding that they should not abandon the fate of the region to actors that are not from the region. 

Davuto?lu reminded his hosts that Turkey had stood together with Iran during their hard days under sanctions. 

Turkey is close to Saudi Arabia, which has cut its diplomatic ties with Iran and is concerned about Tehran's growing clout in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.

"We have our differences on some regional issues, but we are determined to manage the differences to reach stability in the region ... Iran and Turkey would both benefit from regional security and stability," Jahangiri said in remarks broadcast live.

The comments, days before the planned resumption of Syrian peace talks in Geneva, also reflected a will on both sides to reap trade benefits from the easing of international sanctions against Iran in January.

The removal of the sanctions means the two neighbors can easily exceed their previous trade target of ...