BY YILMAZ OZTUNA
TURKIYE- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is currently visiting Iran. There are principles of Iran’s foreign policy that never change, and Erdogan’s delegation knows this. Erdogan went to Iran hoping that the PKK/KONGRA-GEL organization would be registered as a terrorist group. Iran fears what the Kurds could do and it will stand with the EU and the US against the PKK. Iran should also agree with us about Iraq’s territorial integrity. If Tehran doesn’t want Shiite autonomy without Baghdad or a Shiite state which speaks Arabic in southern Iraq, Iran should act in compliance with this policy.
In addition, selling natural gas to Turkey at above-market prices isn’t right. Tehran should appreciate that Ankara is making all sorts of moves for rapprochement and US follow-up. Obviously Iran has been undergoing a critical period since 1940. Even in this period there have not been concerns that the country might break up. We know the value and importance of our neighbor. Erdogan shouldn’t return to Ankara empty-handed. Besides pretty words, we expect concrete developments. We will understand how Tehran acts these days when reports on Iran come out of Washington.