Turkish MP Lauds Iran’s Key Role in Regional Stability
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A Turkish lawmaker hailed Iran for its contribution to the regional peace and stability, saying the ISIL terrorist group would have conquered Iraq’s Kurdistan region and even Baghdad if Iran had not offered help to its western neighbor.
“I believe that Iran is a major regional power in the Middle East. Iran has great significance in the establishment of peace and stability in the region,” Nazmi Gur told the Tasnim News Agency.
He also highlighted Iran’s “serious role in peace, freedom and stability in a widespread area, from Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea.”
Pointing to Tehran’s constructive role in the fight against the ISIL terrorist group in Iraq, Gur added, “Without Iran’s help, the ISIL could have occupied (Iraqi) Kurdistan and maybe even Baghdad.”
“From this point of view, Iran is a very important country that has a significant role,” he noted.
The ISIL militants made swift advances in northern and western Iraq over the summer, after capturing large swaths of northern Syria.
Meanwhile, a combination of concentrated attacks by the Iraqi military and the popular forces, who rushed to take arms after top Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa calling for fight against the militants, have blunted the edge of the ISIL offensive.
Amid tensions in Iraq, Iran is known as the first country to help the Arab country and has always voiced support for Iraq’s solidarity and prosperity.