TEHRAN – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has held a series of meetings with his Turkish and Brazilian counterparts and the president of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region on the sidelines of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, focusing on expanding bilateral cooperation, strengthening economic and trade ties, and promoting regional peace and stability.

In a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening relations, particularly in economic and commercial fields, and called for closer coordination among regional countries to address common challenges and safeguard regional stability.

Highlighting the deep-rooted historical, cultural and civilizational bonds between Iran and Turkey, Pezeshkian and Erdogan stressed the need to make fuller use of their countries’ respective capacities to expand cooperation across political, economic, commercial and regional fields.

They identified expanding bilateral trade, removing obstacles to economic exchanges, encouraging greater private-sector participation and making better use of existing opportunities as key priorities. Both presidents also emphasized mutual respect, good-neighborly relations and shared interests as the foundations of stronger bilateral ties.

On regional developments, the two leaders underscored the importance of dialogue, constructive engagement and stronger cooperation among regional countries to prevent tensions, address security challenges and promote lasting peace, stability and sustainable development.

In a separate meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Pezeshkian called for broader cooperation between Tehran and Brasília, particularly in economic, trade, scientific, technological and agricultural sectors.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meets and holds talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Türkiye.

The two presidents emphasized the importance of making greater use of their countries’ complementary capacities, expanding trade exchanges and encouraging closer engagement between their private sectors.

They also exchanged views on regional and international developments, stressing the importance of strengthening the role of independent countries in global affairs and upholding national sovereignty, international law and constructive multilateral cooperation.

Pezeshkian also met with President of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani, with discussions focusing on strengthening economic and commercial relations and addressing regional security developments.

The Iranian president stressed Tehran’s readiness to expand cooperation with the Kurdistan Region across various sectors, particularly trade and economic activities, and called for greater use of existing capacities and opportunities to boost bilateral exchanges.

He also emphasized the longstanding friendly relations between the two sides, saying efforts to economically isolate Iran would not succeed given its close ties with neighboring countries and communities, including the people of the Kurdistan Region.

Pezeshkian further criticized the United States and Israel over their military aggression against Iran, describing the attacks and the killing of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and schoolchildren as violations of international law and humanitarian principles. He said that, having failed to achieve their objectives militarily, Iran’s adversaries were now seeking to exert economic pressure by restricting routes used to transport essential goods, food and medicine.

Barzani, for his part, stressed the importance of lasting peace and stability in the region, noting that military aggression against Iran would only have further complicated the regional situation without achieving its intended objectives.

He reaffirmed that the Kurdistan Region would not allow its territory to be used for any action threatening Iran’s security or sovereignty, describing Iran as a longstanding supporter of the region whose assistance during difficult times would not be forgotten.

Barzani also expressed readiness to expand economic and trade relations with Iran and praised the resilience of the Iranian people and armed forces.

The meetings with Erdogan, Lula and Barzani were part of Pezeshkian’s diplomatic engagements on the sidelines of COP31. He had previously held talks with the leaders of Iraq, Norway, Armenia and Pakistan, discussing bilateral relations, regional developments and prospects for expanded economic and political cooperation.

The 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference is being held in Antalya, Turkey, from November 9 to 20, bringing together world leaders, government representatives and international organizations to discuss global climate challenges.