MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Turkish and Iranian chiefs of staff of the armed forces held a meeting on Monday in Tehran and agreed to expand military cooperation between the two countries, local media reported.
Ankara and Tehran also discussed possibilities of military cooperation to assist Muslims in Myanmar and other countries, the media outlet said citing Iranian Maj. Gen. Mohammad Hossein Baqeri.
"We held talks on the common threats to the two countries (Iran and Turkey), and also on the (independence) referendum in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region with an emphasis on the maintenance of Iraq’s integrity and rejection of the referendum," Baqeri said.
Turkish Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, on his part, said that Ankara and Tehran had reached agreements on the fight against terrorism and border security and noted the friendly character of bilateral relations.
The talks of the chiefs of staff took place a few days before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s planned visit to Iran, where a joint response to the recent independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan will be discussed. On October 4, Erdogan is expected to hold talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
