Iran’s Raisi to visit Turkey in coming weeks, Erdogan’s top aide says

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is expected to visit Turkey in coming weeks, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s foreign policy advisor Ibrahim Kalin said.

“The date of the visit yet to be determined, it may take place in the coming weeks,” Kalin told Turkish broadcaster NTV on Tuesday, state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

Iran did not comment over the issue, Iranian MEHR News Agency said.

The relations between the long-time regional rivals started to improve when the two countries signed a trilateral Astana Agreement along with Russia in 2016 in a move to end the conflict in Syria.

Last year, Turkey and Iran signed a deal in Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat to boost bilateral ties and in July this year, agreed to improve the level of bilateral trade and economic cooperation, setting a trade target of $30 billion.

Ankara and Tehran have signed eight memoranda of understanding during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Iran in July, including political and economic fields.