17 January 2016•Update: 18 January 2016
ANKARA
Turkish prime minister has welcomed the lifting of international sanctions on Iran.
In remarks made at the Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul before leaving for the U.K. Sunday, Davutoglu said Turkey was “very pleased” with the move.
“We believe that Turkey-Iran relations will gain a significant momentum in the economic field with the removal of embargoes,” he said.
He also said that Turkey always supported the path of peace to resolve the Iranian nuclear crisis.
He recalled that when he served as Turkish foreign minister, he personally engaged in negotiations aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the issue.
Davutoglu hoped the move would pave the way for the entire world to prioritize contributing constructively to the Middle East region.
“We hope that this development opens the front for such a perspective,” he said.
Turkish Foreign Ministry also welcomed the fact that the path of diplomacy prevailed during negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, which eventually led to the lifting of international sanctions.
"Turkey has been saying that the only way to find a solution to Iran's nuclear program is through diplomacy and negotiations. We congratulate the people for achieving this result, which symbolizes an important success in terms of diplomacy," the ministry said in a written statement Sunday.
The U.S. and EU lifted international sanctions on Iran Saturday following the announcement of the International Atomic Energy Agency that the country was complying with its nuclear-related obligations agreed last summer.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano announced Saturday that Iran completed necessary preparatory steps to start implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The world powers’ group P5+1, which includes China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States plus Germany, the European Union, and Iran reached a nuclear framework deal on July 14, 2015, that was called the JCPOA.
On Oct. 18, 2015, the agreement became effective and participants began to make preparations for the implementation of their agreements.
