LOC16:18
13:18 GMT
ANKARA, Aug 17 (KUNA) -- Turkish and Iranian military leaders held talks on Thursday over efforts to step up counter-terrorism cooperation in a rare visit by an Iranian military commander to Turkey.
Speaking to the press while on an official visit to Turkey, chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces Mohammad Bagheri said that Tehran and Ankara have agreed to establish closer military ties.
He added that he has invited his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar to visit Iran in order to make progress in relations, noting that Turkish President Recep Erdogan is heading to Tehran soon.
On the Iraqi Kurdistan's independence referendum, Bagheri said that both Iran and Turkey believe that the motion "could trigger further unrest in the region."
Bagheri is reportedly the first Iranian chief of staff to visit Turkey since the Islamic Republic's 1979 revolution. (end)
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