JOINT STATEMENT OF THE 8TH HIGH LEVEL COOPERATION COUNCIL «HLCC» BETWEEN  THE REPUBLIC OF TÜRKİYE  AND THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN   Ankara – 24 January 2024 Upon the invitation of His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye, His Excellency Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran paid an official visit to the Republic of Türkiye on 24 January 2024 corresponding with 4 Bahman 1402. On the occasion of the visit, the 8th Meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council between the Republic of Türkiye and the Islamic Republic of Iran  was held with the participation of the Ministers, the list of which is attached hereto. The Parties, in the light of their traditional relations based on mutual respect, shared interests, friendship and deep rooted cultural and historical ties as well as the current regional and global developments and by, Noting with satisfaction that the meetings of the Türkiye-Iran HighLevel Cooperation Council established in 2014 have evolved into a useful institutional mechanism for further development of their relations, Reiterating their strong political will to expand their relations in all fields through mutual high-level visits and strengthening contacts between the peoples,  Underlining the benefits of the continued high-level dialogue between the two countries over bilateral issues and the regional developments,  Affirming that the two countries, in view of their existing potential, have broad opportunities for strengthening their political, economic, cultural, scientific and security cooperation, as well as collaboration on regional issues, Stressing the importance of cooperation in international organizations and platforms such as the United Nations, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, ECO, D-8, Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) and Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) of which both countries are members, Stressing also the importance of international and regional cooperation for the peaceful resolution of global and regional conflicts and the necessity of just, non-discriminatory and humanitarian-based approaches to transform the existing international order into a fairer one, Reiterating their determination to jointly combat in concrete terms all forms and manifestations of terrorism, which has become one of the greatest challenges of our time and has caused also great damage to the region in which the two countries are located, Have:  Decided to take full advantage of the existing bilateral mechanisms and agreements in force, in particular the Joint Economic Commission, the bilateral cooperation agreements and committees in the fields of security, transport, customs, border and agriculture, with a view to fully implementing their provisions, and further increasing their number in areas of need,  Reiterated their determination to reach a trade volume of 30 billion USD and to ensure stable, sustainable and fair economic and commercial cooperation, in the light of their significant potential in economic and commercial cooperation,  Resolved to work together to effectively use and expand the investment areas in their countries by encouraging mutual investments; to create business friendly environment for reciprocal investments; to resolve problems of current investors; and to provide incentives to the private sectors of the two countries, Emphasized the importance of the existing energy cooperation, such as, natural gas and electricity,     Considering the strategic position and the central role of the two countries in the transportation of goods and passengers as each other's gateways to Europe and Asia, emphasized on their willingness and commitment to strengthen and support regional communication, facilitate road, rail and multi-modal transit of transport corridors, strengthening border trade, establishing new border terminals and encouraging the private sector to invest jointly in their infrastructure,   Consented, in light of ever-increasing people-to-people relations between the two countries, to enhance consular cooperation and hold regular committee meetings to address legal and judicial problems of their citizens in the framework of existing bilateral agreements, Reaffirmed that it is in the interest of both countries to make maximum use of existing cooperation mechanisms against all terrorist groups and their affiliates in all forms along their common borders and elsewhere and to hold result-oriented cooperation in the fight against terrorism, smuggling of goods and weapons, illicit drug trafficking and organized crime, While emphasizing the right of all countries for peaceful exploitation of nuclear energy under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), stressed also the necessity of taking a constructive approach based on good faith by all relevant actors to resume full implementation of the JCPOA commitments by all sides,   Emphasized that successful conclusion of the negotiations aiming at revival of the JCPOA could constitute a good precedent for multilateral diplomacy and would contribute to further expansion of economic relations between two sides, Stressed the importance of the continuation of bilateral cooperation in the field of environment, including but not limited to “zero waste”, conservation of biodiversity as well as fair and sustainable utilization of water and land resources with a view to sustainable development, Expressed the importance of their bilateral relations and cooperation in the fields of culture, archives, education, science, youth and sports in accordance with the Cultural Agreement of 1959 as well as continued exchange of high-level delegations between the two countries in these fields,    Reiterated their determination to further enhance their cooperation in the field of higher education and establish a joint expert committee to expand bilateral scientific and educational collaboration, Expressed their will to develop constructive cooperation in the field of media by making use of the Joint Committee and implementing existing agreements,  Pointed out their strong condemnation against the repeated incidents of burning of copies of the Holy Quran, increasing Islamophobia and the populist discourse that incites abuse and aggression against religion,  Welcomed the adoption of resolutions defining attacks against holy books as religious hatred and violation of international law by the United Nations,  Reaffirmed their total rejection of all forms of hate speech including hatred against Islam and consented to continue to cooperate closely in the international organizations, including the United Nations and the OIC,  Expressed grave concern at deterioration of the situation in Gaza since 7 October 2023 and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and strongly condemned ongoing brutal attacks targeting Palestinian civilians, Called for an immediate cessation of attacks by Israeli forces against Gaza and called on all responsible parties to immediately and fully comply with the provisions of international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, especially regarding the protection of civilians, Demanded the immediate and unconditional lifting of the oppressive blockade against the Gaza Strip and the immediate, sufficient and unimpeded delivery of essential goods and services to civilians throughout the Gaza Strip, Recognized the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people particularly self-defense, Supported the formation of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital, in order to create a just and sustainable solution to this conflict by emphasizing the fundamental and well-known rights of the Palestinian people,   Declared that with the aim of confronting the impunity of the political and military leadership of Israel, will conduct bilateral and multilateral cooperation to ensure accountability for the war crimes and all other kinds of atrocities, committed by Israeli officials, in Gaza in competent courts of law, Welcomed  the South African government’s legal action against Israel before the International Court of Justice in accordance with its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948, While underlining their common will as Astana partners to preserve the calm on the ground, reconfirmed their commitment to territorial integrity, unity and sovereignty of Syria, and reiterated that the only way for a lasting and sustainable solution to the Syrian crisis is through a political process in accordance with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions including 2254.   Reaffirmed the importance they attach to Iraq's territorial integrity, political unity and sovereignty; as well as their appreciation to the current government, which has achieved a relative stability in the country and its efforts on improvement of accountability, reconstruction and development,  Stressed their common expectations from Iraq as well as their will to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism,  Reaffirmed the importance of the 3+3 Regional Platform, which serves as a convenient forum on the basis of respect to territorial integrity of the regional countries for constructive dialogue, consultation and cooperation between the member countries of the Platform; as well as their support to such initiatives that promote regional ownership,  Noted that the practical and constructive engagement with the current authorities of Afghanistan is required to address the challenges emanating from that country , including the establishment of an inclusive, responsible and accountable government in Afghanistan representing all the people of Afghanistan and providing security to them without ethnic and sectarian discrimination,  Stressed the importance of meaningful participation and inclusion of women in Afghanistan in all walks of life which is indispensable for a sustainable social and economic development,  Emphasized significance of a holistic fight against all terrorist groups in Afghanistan, also emphasized the need to  fight against drug trafficking in a sustainable manner and to find alternative agricultural crops for substituting narcotic production, to fight against human trafficking and the illegal movement of Afghan nationals to neighboring and regional countries and beyond, enabling safe, voluntary and dignified return of all irregular Afghan migrants, to make use of shared resources in keeping with good neighborly relations.     Agreed to increase their consultations on Afghanistan at technical level,   Reaffirmed their support for the territorial integrity of Yemen and for efforts to help find a lasting political solution to the Yemen crisis, including the efforts by the United Nations for reaching a roadmap to this end; expressed their hope that the Yemeni parties will conclude an agreement as soon as possible and implement it effectively to bring permanent peace and stability to Yemen, Emphasized on sending urgent aid by the international community, including food, medicine and other essential items to the Yemeni people, While emphasizing the importance of maintaining the security of shipping in regional and international waters, including the Red Sea, the two sides considered the intensification of regional tensions and current situation in the Red Sea as the result of the Israel’s brutal aggression against the people of Gaza, and stressed that in order to return to normal conditions in the region decisive measures must be taken to prevent Israeli crimes,   Expressed the urgent need for a just and viable peace to be achieved through  negotiations in Ukraine, and efforts to address the global and regional negative impacts of the conflict, which continuously surge as the war further protracts.   In light of the above and on the occasion of the Eighth Meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council, the following documents were signed in the presence of H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye and H.E. Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran:   1)  Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Türkiye and the Vice Precidency for Science and Technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Scientific, Industrial and Technological Cooperation   2)  Declaration of Intent on Cooperation between the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the 2025 Reciprocal Year of Culture   3)  Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Fields of Media and Communication between the Directorate of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance of the Islamic Republic of Iran   4)  Memorandum of Understanding  between  Turkish National Police Academy of Republic of Türkiye and the Amin Police University of the Islamic Republic of Iran 5)  Framework Agreement between the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, for the Government of the Republic of Türkiye and the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, for the Government of Islamic Republic of Iran on Railway Transportation   6)  Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye and the Supreme Council of Free Trade – Industrial and Special Economic Zones of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Cooperation in the Field of Free Zones   7)  Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Türkiye and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the Mutual Recognition and Conversion of National Driving Licences   8)  Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Türkiye and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Assignment of Armed Flight Security Officer   9)  Memorandum of Understanding between  the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Türkiye and the Ministry of Petroleum of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Cooperation in the Energy Sector 10)  Operational Agreement between Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEİAŞ) and Iran Grid Management Company (IGMC) ANNEX: LIST OF MINISTERS  Republic of Türkiye   HAKAN FİDAN   MINISTER OF FOREIGN        AFFAIRS     ALPARSLAN BAYRAKTAR   MINISTER OF ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES   OSMAN AŞKIN BAK   MINISTER OF YOUTH AND SPORTS, CO-CHAIRMAN OF JOINT ECONOMIC COMISSION   ALİ YERLİKAYA            MINISTER OF INTERIOR   MEHMET ŞİMŞEK   MINISTER OF TREASURY AND FINANCE   MEHMET NURİ ERSOY                    MINISTER OF CULTURE        AND TOURISM   YAŞAR GÜLER                                   MINISTER OF NATIONAL     DEFENSE   İBRAHİM YUMAKLI                         MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY   ÖMER BOLAT                                     MINISTER OF TRADE   ABDULKADİR URALOĞLU              MINISTER OF      TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE   Islamic Republic of Iran   HOSSEIN AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN   MINISTER OF FOREIGN        AFFAIRS   MEHRDAD BAZRPASH   MINISTER OF ROADS AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, CO- CHAIRMAN OF JOINT ECONOMIC COMISSION   AHMAD VAHIDI                  MINISTER OF INTERIOR   MOHAMMAD REZA ASHTIANI      MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND ARMED FORCE’ LOGISTICS   JAVAD OWJİ                                     MINISTER OF PETROLEUM   MOHAMMAD MEHDI ESMAEILI   MINISTER CULTURE AND ISLAMIC GUIDANCE     MOHAMMAD ALİ NİKBAKHT       MINISTER OF AGRICULTURAL JIHAD