Tensions and disagreements between Turkey and Iran, both countries summons ambassadors
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Alaina
- . March 2, 2021
- . Update: March 6, 2021 2:11 am
Turkey and Iran have summoned the other country’s ambassador, according to the official media of both nations, in an escalation of the dispute over the Turkish presence in Iraq. Although Turkey and the Islamic Republic of Iran are rival countries in different regions of the Middle East and Central Asia, they carried out operations against Kurdish fighters in Iraq, in northern Iraq.
Earlier this month, Turkey accused Kurdish militants of killing 12 Turks and an Iraqi, being held hostage in northern Iraq. The incident prompted the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad, Erge Masjedi, to warn that Turkish forces should not pose a threat or violate Iraqi Territory. “We do not accept that Turkey or any other country intervenes militarily in Iraq, or that it advances and has a military presence in Iraq,” he said in an interview broadcast by tv of State on Saturday.
Turkey’s ambassador to Baghdad, Fatih Yildiz, was quick to respond, saying, via Twitter, that the Iranian ambassador was the last person authorized to give a lecture to Turkey on respecting Iraqi borders. Officials from the Turkish foreign ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador, Muhammad Farazmand, informing him that Turkey expects Iran to support it in the “war on terror,” according to the official Turkish Anatolia News Agency. Ankara Foreign Ministry informed the ambassador that Turkey “completely rejects” Masjedi’s statements, noting that the Turkish regime always informs the authorities concerned, including Baghdad, of its plans to target militants.
On the other hand, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned the ambassador of Ankara to Tehran, on the background of the statements made by the Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu regarding the presence of Kurdish militants in Iran, according to the news agency, Iranian official press IRNA.
Interestingly, Soylu indicated last week that there are “52 terrorists” in Iran, and “IRNA” reported that Iranian officials pointed out that his statements were unacceptable and contradicted the two countries’ efforts to cooperate. The Iranians also insisted on their interview with the Turkish ambassador, Derya Urs, about whom Tehran takes seriously He is determined to fight terrorism and rejected Yildiz unwarranted statements.
Turkey has carried out several airstrikes against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) bases in northern Iraq, including Qandil and Sinjar, and Ankara and its Western allies classify the PKK, which has been fighting a rebellion against the Turkish state since 1984 as a terrorist organization. Turkey bombed a mountainous region near Sinjar last month, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned his country was ready to move militarily to get rid of terrorists in the region, but Tehran’s ambassador to Baghdad has condemned the Sultan’s plans, saying: “What is Sinjar’s relationship with Turkey? Iraqis have to solve the problem on their own.” It’ must be recalled that Turkey is the first State-sponsor of terrorism, financing, and military supporting extremist groups in Libya and Syria, including Daesh and Al-Qaeda, raising doubts about the regime’s definition of terrorists.
