On Monday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires over Tehran’s public criticism of Turkish policy.
Turkey’s move followed a meeting at the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Monday, when the Turkish ambassador met with the ministry’s director general for Mediterranean and Eastern European affairs, Mahmoud Heydari.
The meeting was prompted by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s recent statements regarding Iran’s role in Syria.
“The mutual interests of our peoples and the delicate regional situation require avoiding inaccurate statements and unfounded analyses that could strain bilateral relations,” Heydari said.
It should be noted that Fidan criticized Iran’s policy in Syria in an interview with Al Jazeera. He described support for the militants as dangerous and called for a policy change.
“If you try to destabilize a third country, other countries may respond by supporting groups within your borders,” Fidan said.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman acknowledged the differences between Tehran and Ankara.
“We attach great importance to our bilateral relations with Turkey. However, the repeated statements that we heard were counterproductive. Our Turkish partners should probably pay more attention to the policies of the Zionist regime (Israel) in Syria and the wider region,” Esmail Baghai said.
