Tehran – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the Turkish government for having distanced itself from Tehran’s arch-foe Israel, state television reported Tuesday.
‘The changes in Turkey’s political status, especially taking distance from the Zionist regime (Israel), has brought this country closer to the Islamic world,’ the ayatollah told visiting Turkish President Abdullah Gul.
Iran does not acknowledge Israel as a sovereign state but rather as the occupier of Palestinian lands. Tehran had in the past criticized Ankara for its ties with Israel.
Khamenei said the influence of both Israel and the United States in the region has been weakened, giving Islamic states the chance to become stronger.
‘The Islamic world should realize its huge potential and use it to become a new influential and powerful global bloc,’ said the ayatollah, who constitutionally has the final say on all state affairs.
Khamenei also said he hoped that Turkey and Iran could triple their annual trade volume to 30 billion dollars.
State media quoted Gul as calling his visit to Tehran and talks with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fruitful.
Gul left Tehran Tuesday to travel to the tourist city of Isfahan in central Iran. On Wednesday, he is to travel to the north-western industrial city of Tabriz, where he is expected to discuss expanding economic cooperation between the private sectors of both nations.