January 28, 2014 | Quote
Turkey’s Erdogan to Arrive in Iran, Discuss Ankara-Tehran Ties
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was expected to arrive in Tehran on Tuesday for a two-day official visit to the Islamic Republic.
Erdogan was scheduled to meet with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani for the first time since the latter's election in June.
The visit was slated to revolve around discussions over ties between Ankara and Tehran.
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“Turkey’s economic and political relationship with Iran continues to expand, even as the Turkish political elite’s ties to the Iranian underworld have mired the AKP government in scandal,” Jonathan Schanzer, vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Post.
“Iranian gold traders have been at the center of this scandal, underscoring the dangers of working with Iran’s shadow economy,” he said.
Schanzer went on to point out that instead of scaling back relations, “it appears that the AKP is doubling down on Iran,” adding that “it is unclear why Turkey would stake out such a high-profile position at a time when Iran sanctions remain in place.”