Iran Urges Turkey to Avoid Force against Syria
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry called on Turkey to address its security concerns through dialogue and compliance with the Astana process, respect Syria’s territorial integrity, and refrain from the use of military force against its neighbors.
Asked about the possibility of military action by Turkey on the Syria-Iraq border, Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Saturday that Iran is opposed to any use of force on the soil of other countries in order to resolve disputes.
He noted that Tehran views such military actions as a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of those countries and believes that it will only complicate the situation and intensify tensions.
Iran understands Turkey’s security concerns, he added, noting that Tehran believes that the only way to address those concerns is dialogue, respect for bilateral agreements with neighbors and also treaties reached within the framework of the Astana platform, including respect for Syria’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty, and observing the principle of avoiding the use of force.
Khatibzadeh maintained that experience gained over the past years has shown that military actions in other countries not only do not help resolve bilateral disputes, but they have had serious humanitarian consequences and will further complicate the situation in the region, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.
The Iranian spokesman also invited the friendly and neighboring countries to interaction and constructive dialogue, saying Iran is ready to play a role and do its best as before to prevent an escalation of crisis and any clash whose victims will only be defenseless people and civilians.
