Turkey foreign minister: ‘We hope Biden administration will return to nuclear deal’

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu expressed his hope that under the new Biden administration Washington will return to the nuclear agreement with Iran.

Cavusoglu’s comments came during a joint press conference on Friday with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, in Istanbul.

The Turkish minister stated: “We hope the Biden administration will return to the nuclear agreement and lift the blockade measures on our sisterly country Iran.”

Cavusoglu referred to the withdrawal of the administration of former President Donald Trump from the nuclear agreement while conveying his hope that the Biden administration would return to the nuclear deal and lift the sanctions on Tehran.

He stressed that Turkey supported the nuclear deal from the very beginning and contributed to the process even before it was concluded.

Cavusoglu pointed out that he discussed bilateral relations with his Iranian counterpart on extensive levels and ways to hold meetings amid the restrictive COVID-19 measures.

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He also communicated Turkey’s readiness to provide various avenues of support to Iran in this context.

In a separate context, Cavusoglu touched on the issue of the Turkish sailors kidnapped in the Gulf of Guinea.

He stated that he had received information that the sailors are in good health, adding: “We will announce good news soon.”

The Turkish minister affirmed that efforts are continuing with the kidnapped sailors’ rescue, noting that he could not provide further details on the issue at this time.

He asserted that the three crew members, who survived the kidnapping incident, arrived in Gabon and will return to Turkey on a Turkish Airlines plane.

Turkey aims to rid itself of the shackles imposed by energy imports thanks to the natural gas found in the Black Sea – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]