Envoy: Iran Ready to Mediate between Turkey, Syria

“Iran is ready to use all possible means to help Turkey review its ties with Syria,”  Bigdeli was quoted by Turkish daily Hurriyet as saying on Friday.

Ralations between Turkey and Syria were strained after Ankara took sides with the rebels fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad and as Turkish prime minister was calling on Assad to leave power. But now it seems Turkey has toned down its criticism of the Syrian government as it is calling for implementation of promised reforms in that country and not for departure of President Assad.

Having some differences on the Syrian issue, Turkey and Iran agreed on some principles concerning Syria during a recent visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to Tehran, Bigdeli noted.

Turkey and Iran will work for a political solution to the Syrian crisis, ending civil war and maintaining ceasefire, enabling return of the Syrian refugees to their homes and providing humanitarian aid for them, according to the ambassador.

He also described the intelligence cooperation between the two countries as being in “very, very good state.”

In meeting with visiting Davutoglu in Tehran on Wednesday, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Iran and Turkey favor immediate end to hostilities in Syria, and called for serious talks among Syrian conflicting parties.

"Both countries share common views on an end to the civil war in Syria, return of the refugees, establishment of security, expulsion of terrorists (from the Syrian soil), and on a peaceful process to resolve the problems in Syria," President Rouhani said.

"Syria problem has no military solution and the country's crisis should be ended through serious negotiations among oppositions and the Syrian government," Rouhani added.

The two countries have agreed to try their best to halt the violence in Syria and encourage the opposing Syrian sides to reach a peaceful solution after nearly three years of deadly violence that has killed more than 100,000 people and forced more than 2.2 million from their country.

Iran, one of Syria's major supporters, believes that intervention of foreign governments has only worsened the crisis and that arming the rebels further inflames the tensions, and has called on all Syrian sides to sit together to find a negotiated settlement for a conflict that can rip apart the social and economic fabric of the Syrian society.