Turkey is ready to mediate between the incoming U.S. administration of Barack Obama and Iran for a thaw in relations between the two countries, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview published Wednesday.
A message of congratulations by Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the U.S. president-elect last week, an unprecedented move by Tehran, was "a step that has to be made use of," Erdogan told the New York Times.
"We are ready to be the mediator," he said. "I do believe we could be very useful."
Early in his election campaign, Obama said he favored unconditional direct talks with Tehran but he has since hardened his position.
"We watch relations between Iran and U.S. with great concern," Erdogan said. "We expect such issues to be resolved at the table. Wars are never solutions in this age."
Turkey has already said it is helping in the talks between Iran, its eastern neighbor, and the six world powers negotiating a settlement to the standoff over Tehran's nuclear program.
Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said in July that Turkey had no formal mediation mission but a role that "is in a sense consolidating and facilitating" the negotiations.
Being a North Atlantic Treaty Organization member and a candidate for European Union membership, while at the same time having good ties with Iran, Turkey believes it is well placed to help bridge the rift between the sides.
Its claim to a greater role in international affairs received a fresh boost last month when it was elected as a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.
Like its Western allies, Ankara is concerned about the possibility of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. It fears another military conflict at its doorstep following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq could deepen regional turmoil and hit economic development.