Iranian foreign minister set for first visit to Ankara of President Rowhani era

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi speaks with media during a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Adnan Mansour, June 22. Salehi is set to visit Ankara on July 12, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. AP photo

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu will meet tomorrow with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi, in Ankara, for the first time since moderate cleric Hassan Rowhani was elected president last month.

Bilateral relations and regional developments will be at the top of the agenda, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The visit comes as Ankara saw Rowhani's election positively and said it hoped for changes in Iran's policy toward Syria with the new presidency. The countries have adopted diametrically opposed stances vis-à-vis Syria; Tehran continues to be the closest ally of the Bashar al-Assad regime while Turkey openly supports the opposition.