THE President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned about him risk of escalation of tension in the Middle East, welcoming his Iranian counterpart today Ibrahim Raisiwho called on him, implicitly, to sever his country’s relations with Israel.

“We agree that it is important to avoid any action that could further undermine the security and stability of our region,” Erdogan told reporters, flanked by Raisi. The Turkish president also called for urgent measures to end the war between Israel and Hamas, once again denouncing the “inhumane attacks” against civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Raisi, whose visit to Turkey comes against a backdrop of escalating tensions in the region, asked his host to cut ties with Israel, Tehran’s sworn enemy. Turkey and Israel maintain trade relations.

“Severing relations with the Zionist regime (…) can be effective in forcing an end to all these atrocities,” he said, again blaming the US for the bloodshed in Gaza.

The two presidents also expressed their willingness to fight against terrorist threats, three weeks after a twin suicide attack in southern Iran that killed 89 people. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. On the other hand, Turkish soldiers have paid a heavy price in recent weeks in their operations in northern Iraq against the militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Erdogan and Raisi also plan to strengthen their trade relations, increasing their trade to $30 billion.