Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (L) shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara on June 27, 2022.

Ankara, June 28 (RHC)-- Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says the Zionist regime of Israel is number one enemy of the Muslim world, lauding Turkey’s unwavering support for the liberation of Palestine. 

Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a Monday joint presser with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, in Ankara.  “We consider the fake Israeli regime as the number one enemy of Muslims and the Islamic world,” Amir-Abdollahian said.

The top Iranian diplomat then lauded Turkey’s position in backing the cause of Palestine, saying, “We are sure that Turkey has never distanced from support of Palestine and liberation of al-Quds and al-Aqsa Mosque.”

Amir-Abdollahian continued by saying, “We clearly gave voice to our sensitivity and considerations about the Zionist regime’s moves and the fact that wherever they went, Zionists have been source of crisis and insecurity.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Iran’s foreign minister said another topic of his talks with Cavusoglu was a recent trip to Iran by the European Union’s foreign policy chief.

“I briefed my brother Mr. Cavusoglu on the visit to Tehran by Mr. Josep Borrell, the high representative of the European Union’s foreign policy and our agreement to continue negotiations on the removal of [anti-Iran] sanctions.”

“We hope that in the new round of the negotiations between Iran and the opposite parties we would achieve a final agreement, if the United States and three European countries act realistically,” Amir-Abdollahian said.

Outgoing Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday that the next round of paused negotiations to revive the ailing 2015 Iran deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), will be hosted by a Persian Gulf country.

Later in the day, the Iranian Foreign Ministry's new spokesman, Naser Kan'ani, told IRNA that the sanctions removal talks will open in the Qatari capital of Doha on Tuesday. He added that Iran's top negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani and his team will set off for Doha tomorrow to attend the talks. 

In a joint press conference with Borrell, the Iranian foreign minister said Tehran is ready to resume the stalled talks to revive the JCPOA that the US abandoned in defiance of international criticism.

Amir-Abdollahian arrived in Turkey on an official visit on Monday to discuss promotion of bilateral ties, with a focus on a long-term cooperation roadmap.

Speaking to reporters upon his arrival, the top Iranian diplomat said talks over a long-term cooperation roadmap between the two countries will top the agenda of his trip.  He added that during Turkish foreign minister's visit to Tehran in November, the sides agreed to prepare comprehensive documents on long-term cooperation.

In a meeting with his Turkish counterpart on the sidelines of the 15th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Turkmenistan’s capital city of Ashgabat late in November, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raeisi said that regional problems must only be solved by regional countries, emphasizing that presence of foreign parties does not help resolve such woes in any way.

“Regional problems must be solved by countries in the region, because presence and interference of foreigners cannot help solve these problems, but further complicate the situation,” Iran’s president said.