Ahmadinejad cancels visit to Turkey

ISTANBUL

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. DHA Photo

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has canceled his visit to Turkey following Iran's military chief of staff’s remarks over Patirots that are being deployed on Turkish soil, daily Hürriyet reported today.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had invited the Iranian president to the Central Anatolian province of Konya for a ceremony marking the 739th anniversary of the passing of the great Sufi mystic Rumi.

The planned deployment of NATO Patriot missiles along Turkey's border with Syria could lead to a "world war" that would threaten Europe as well, Iran's military chief of staff was quoted as saying yesterday.

Erdoğan and Ahmadinejad were expected to discuss a wide range of issues, including Syria and Turkey’s decision to further cut the oil it purchases from Iran as part of Washington’s sanctions.