Iran and Turkey Have DifferencesOn Syria, But Not a Crisis
Iran's ambassador in Ankara, Alireza Bikdeli, says if the Iranian and Turkish differences on Syria were between two other countries, it would have led to serious problems.
When I sat down for an interview with Iranian ambassador to Ankara Alireza Bikdeli on Friday, Sept. 27, it was a day after John Kerry and Javad Zarif had broken the six-year-long ice between the foreign ministers of both nations by talking face-to-face in New York on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama and Hassan Rouhani had failed to meet expectations of a handshake to mark the end of a mute stalemate between the presidents of the United States and Iran since 1979. In a matter of hours, though, that was quickly changed by a telephone call from Obama to Rouhani, signaling a whole new beginning. I was filled with curiosity sitting before the ambassador, trying to grasp how he would describe this new Iranian opening and its potential impact on relations with Turkey.
