MNA – The Iranian ambassador to Turkey said that the tripartite meeting between Rouhani, Erdogan and Putin, which is slated to be held in Iranian city of Tabriz Sep. 7, will focus on the situation of Syrian Idlib province.

One of the main topics of the meeting is expected to be the current conflict in Idlib, the Iranian envoy to Turkey Mohammad Ebrahim Taherian Fard said on Monday in an interview with Turkish Daily Sabah.

Pointing out the importance of Iran and Turkey in the region, Taherian Fard said that both countries play a key role in solving regional matters. The ambassador stressed that the top agenda item of the Tehran meeting will be the situation in Idlib.

Taherian Fard also indicated that the cooperation between Iran, Turkey, and Russia are playing an important role in the de-escalation of the conflict in Syria and considerable steps have been taken to resolve the crisis through political process. Emphasizing that there are still problems and different views, he indicated that the Syria talks were shaped thanks to the cooperation of the three countries despite these problems.

Touching upon the extensive bilateral relations between Iran and Turkey, he said there is a positive and prospective process but the relations have not reached the level desired by the countries' authorities and the public. Underlining that Turkey-Iran relations are not only based on common interests and neighboring relations but also on extensive history, culture, and identity, he also advised that efforts should be made to increase the quality and level of the relations to meet expectations.

He added that current trade volume is still well below the expectations of the leaders despite the aims of high-ranking officials in Iran and Turkey to increase the amount to $30 billion. In order to meet these expectations, Taherian Fard stressed that recent preferential trade agreements and the strengthening and facilitating relations of banking play an important role.

Also commenting on the recent US sanctions against Iran, he said "efforts of the US to impose its domestic decisions on other countries is a clear example of how it violates the sovereignty and independence of other countries and how it uses international financial and banking system as a political tool. Withdrawal of the US from the nuclear deal pushes Iran into a difficult situation where the US [is] faced with loss of reputation and legitimacy."