Iranian President's absent from summit announced by Erdogan

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was conspicuously absent from a summit in Ankara announced by his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, a declaration made in front of journalists earlier, but not officially confirmed by Tehran. 

The buzz surrounding Raisi's absence sheds light on the tension between the two regional powers, despite their shared views on the Israel-Hamas conflict. 

The Turkish presidency, as reported by AFP, stated that there were no scheduled meetings for Erdogan on Tuesday, without specifying whether the visit was canceled or postponed. 

In turn, the semi-official Iranian agency "Tasnim" mentioned that Raisi's visit to Turkey had been "postponed" without providing reasons or further details. 

Erdogan himself had earlier announced the first official visit of the Iranian president to Turkey while returning on a plane from a summit of Arab and Islamic leaders hosted by Riyadh on November 11, which Raisi also attended. 

Erdogan told journalists on the plane, "Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will visit us on the 28th of the month." 

The Turkish official media also reported the visit and extensively discussed it on television until late Monday. 

However, there has been no official confirmation from the offices of the presidents or Iranian media. 

The two presidents and the foreign ministers of both countries held phone talks over the weekend, focusing particularly on the war in Gaza. 

After the call, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian expressed "his hope that with the continuation of high-level diplomacy between the two countries, both sides can witness the enhancement and deepening of mutual cooperation." 

AFP