Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a message to his Turkish counterpart called on Russia and Turkey to resolve the ongoing tension in their relations and join hands in the fight against terrorism, which is the world's main problem.
In his Friday message to Mevlut Cavusoglu, Zarif referred to the tension in Moscow-Ankara ties caused by Turkey's recent downing of a Russian jet and urged the two sides to show prudence in resolving their problem, Tasnim News Agency reported.
"I am sure the problem that recently arose between our two neighboring and friendly countries in the region will be resolved through the two sides' prudence," he said.
Once the problem is resolved, the Iranian minister assured, "we could all join hands to fight the main problem of the region and the world, which is terrorism."
Turkish fighter jets shot down a Russian Su-24 near the Syrian border on Tuesday, creating tension in relations between the two countries. Turkey claims the incident happened after repeated warnings over airspace violations, but Moscow said it could prove the jet had not left Syrian airspace.
Elsewhere in his Friday letter, Zarif also congratulated his Turkish counterpart on his reappointment as the head of the neighboring country's Foreign Ministry.
"I seize the opportunity and stress the necessity for continued consultations between the two countries to help resolve the problems in the region and the Muslim world, which are going through a very sensitive and complicated situation," Zarif said, highlighting the positive effects of such consultations.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to form a new government last week after the ruling Justice and Development Party—founded by Erdogan and led by him for more than a decade—made a strong comeback in Turkey's Nov. 1 election.
Erdogan on Tuesday approved the new government led by Davutoglu, in which Cavusoglu has been reappointed to the post of foreign minister.
