Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the Syrian crisis during his unscheduled meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday held on the sidelines of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit in Baku.

Iran and Turkey have in recent years increased their cooperation in numerous fields, including economics and trade, energy, security, education and culture. Both countries are determined to boost their trade turnover to $30 billion in the near future, Fars news agency reported.

The two countries' political and economic delegations have paid several mutual visits in the past few months.

The pair discussed the Syrian crisis in their 40-minute long meeting and exchanged views on joint UN-Arab League special envoy on Syria Lakhdar Brahimi's recent visit to the region while emphasizing increased efforts to stop the bloodshed, according to Turkey's Anadolu news agency.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Numan Kurtulmus, deputy chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), were also present at the meeting.

Prime Minister Erdogan said Turkey and Iran have agreed to form a new channel between their foreign ministries to intensify dialogue and cooperation to end the bloodshed in Syria, with Turkey offering Iran to build a trilateral mechanism to grapple with the worsening Syrian crisis, Todays Zaman newspaper reported.

"We have agreed to bolster communication at the level of the foreign ministries to bridge differences over the unfolding Syrian conflict. The constant deliberation and communication would help to reduce differences," Erdogan told a press conference upon his return from Azerbaijan late on Tuesday.

According to Erdogan, such a trilateral mechanism, which aims to adequately handle the Syrian conflict, would include key regional actors. The mechanism could be made up of Turkey, Iran and Egypt or it could include Turkey, Iran and Russia. Furthermore, Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia could also form a trilateral mechanism as another scenario, Erdogan said, disclosing the nature of the Turkish offer outlining different options of building a new regional body to address the ongoing Syrian conflict.

He pointed out that Saudi Arabia is uneasy with appearing on the same platform as Iran and that it does not want to take part in negotiations with the country. It could, however, take part in a new mechanism with Turkey and Egypt.

Erdogan also said President Ahmadinejad had positively reacted to a call by UN-Arab League envoy Brahimi, who has sought Iranian help to achieve a cease-fire in Syria during the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, marking the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

For his part, Ahmadinejad in the meeting with Erdogan said the best solution to the Syrian crisis is holding free elections in the Muslim country, Fars reported.

The meeting comes on the heels of escalating border tensions between Turkey and Syria.

According to reports, Erdogan said Turkey responded appropriately in regards to the Akcakale incident on October 3, when five people were killed by Syrian shelling, and "continues to practice required measures". He defended Turkey's retaliatory measures in the wake of the attack in the town of Akcakale, and Ahmadinejad concurred.

"Turkey is justified in its reaction," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying during the meeting by the private Cihan news agency. The Iranian leader expressed support for Turkey regarding the incident and said Tehran will "continue to support" Ankara on the issue, Todays Zaman reported.

Also high on the agenda of the Erdogan-Ahmadinejad meeting were Iran's nuclear program and the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK) -- the Iranian wing of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been waging a separatist campaign against Turkey for the past three decades.

Iran also agreed that the Turkish Cypriots should be given an observer status at ECO, a Turkish demand voiced by Foreign Minister Davutoglu during a ministerial meeting on Monday.

Yet following the meeting with Erdogan, Ahmadinejad agreed to lift the veto on Turkish Cyprus. An agreement was signed at the event granting the republic observer status.

"One of the most important aspects of this summit was that the TRNC [Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus] was given an observer status in the meetings. This is an important step and we are glad that we made that happen," Erdogan told reporters after returning to Ankara from the Azerbaijani capital on Tuesday.