Ahmadinejad Joins Regional ECO Talks in Istanbul

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad joined regional leaders Thursday for a summit on economic cooperation in Istanbul, just a month ahead of nuclear talks with world powers in the Turkish city.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad joined regional leaders Thursday for a summit on economic cooperation in Istanbul, just a month ahead of nuclear talks with world powers in the Turkish city. As Turkish President Abdullah Gul welcomed his guests at a seafront Ottoman palace, Ahmadinejad arrived, gave Gul a warm hug and waved to the cameras. He was accompanied by his new foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi, also Iran's nuclear chief, who made his first international appearance in Istanbul Wednesday at a pre-summit gathering of the 10-member Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). Salehi was appointed interim foreign minister last week after Ahmadinejad dismissed Manouchehr Mottaki. The pair met with Turkish leaders to discuss a second round of talks that Iran would hold with the 5+1 group of world powers over its disputed nuclear program, expected in late January in Istanbul. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the discussions with the Iranians aimed to ensure that "the positive atmosphere that emerged (at the first round) in Geneva is sustained" in Istanbul. He refused to claim any mediation role, stressing that Turkey would only host the gathering. "But if the two sides agree to ask Turkey for any kind of support, we are always ready to give it," he told reporters. "The objective is clear: to free the world and the region from nuclear threats." Thursday's summit was attended by presidents Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Roza Otunbayeva of Kyrgyzstan, Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan and Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, as well as Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani participated as a guest. The ECO, which promotes regional trade and economic development, also includes Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, which sent lower-level officials. In his opening speech, Gul lamented that the group was faltering in efforts to expand commercial links, stressing intra-regional trade had increased only from six to seven percent since 2005, undermining the 2015 target of 20 percent. "We have to admit that this is a failure," he said, urging member states to speed up efforts to adopt an ECO accord calling for progressive removal of trade barriers. "It should be understood that the way to economic stability and sustainable development for our countries goes through economic and commercial cooperation in the region," he said. On the sidelines of the summit, the foreign ministers of Turkey, Iran and Azerbaijan issued a joint statement pledging to enhance political consultations and hold regular trilateral meetings. ECO is an intergovernmental regional organization established in 1985 by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey with the aim of promoting economic, technical and cultural cooperation among member states.