Turkey declares its readiness to host nuclear talks on Iran’s nuclear program with the P5+1 group, Al-Alam television quoted official statement by Ankara

Turkey declares its readiness to host nuclear talks on Iran’s nuclear program with the P5+1 group, Al-Alam television quoted official statement by Ankara, AFP reported Friday.

The Iranian channel said that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had spoken to the Iran's chief negotiator Saeed Jalili about the talks slated for April 13 and 14 but whose location has yet to be confirmed.

"Relations between Iran and Turkey are strategic and brotherly. Turkey is ready to welcome the next negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group," Al-Alam said Davutoglu told Jalili, citing a Supreme National Security Council source.

At the same time, Davutoglu was quoted as saying that "Iran's proposal to hold these talks in Baghdad is an intelligent one."

After originally proposing that the negotiations be held in Istanbul, Tehran then suggested either Baghdad or Beijing as the venue.

Iran last held talks with the six powers -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- in January 2011 with no results.

On Thursday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Iran to act honestly after its about-face on Istanbul as the location for the talks.

"It is necessary to act honestly. They continue to lose prestige in the world because of a lack of honesty," Erdogan told a televised news conference.

Al-Alam reported that Ankara's ambassador to Tehran, Umit Yardim, had met Jalili's deputy Ali Bargheri "to provide explanations" about Erdogan's remarks.

"Turkey's president and prime minister have great esteem for the Islamic republic, its supreme leader (Sayyed Ali Khamenei) and president (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad)," it reported Yardim as saying.

The station added that Yardim said "Turkey supports the position of the Islamic republic in the nuclear issue."

For the past two years Turkey has mediated between Iran and world powers on the nuclear issue. But Ankara's recent stance against Iran ally Syria has affected bilateral relations.

Ties have also suffered since Ankara agreed to implement a NATO-led early warning defense system last year, which Iran deems is hostile to it.

Ankara has also joined a US-imposed sanctions push to cut purchases of Iranian oil.