Iran calls on Turkey for regional cooperation

ANKARA

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu (L) meets with Iran’s new President Hassan Rouhani at his office in Tehran on Augus 5. Iranian envoy to Ankara said two countries should formulate regional solutions to problems. AFP photo

Iran and Turkey should formulate regional solutions to all of the problems in the region together, Iranian Ambassador to Ankara Alireza Bigdeli has said, calling on Turkey to cooperate with his country.

In remarks delivered to the Anadolu Agency on Aug. 30, Bigdeli assessed a potential military intervention into Syria and noted the problems in the region.

“Together, we can [halt] the Westerners’ conspiracy that is disturbing peace in the region. In addition to this, we can also reveal and eliminate projects aimed at creating mischief among Muslims. We shouldn’t accompany them in their efforts to weaken the Islamic world,” Bigdeli said.

“The Syria issue is a problem that is a part of our world now. Parties who don’t take the big picture into consideration will be mistaken if they handle the problem in any other way,” Bigdeli said, noting that the Syria issue was a part of global problems and that it should not be evaluated solely as a problem in Syria.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said his country will press efforts to ward off military action by the United States and its allies against the Tehran-backed regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The report said the remarks came late Aug. 28 during a phone conversation between Rouhani and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

‘Western countries against Muslims’

Rouhani was quoted as saying “military action will bring great costs to the region” and “it is necessary to apply all efforts to prevent it.” According to the report, he said both Iran and Russia will work in “extensive cooperation” to prevent any military action against Syria. Rouhani also called such military action an “open violation” of international laws.

The Iranian diplomat suggested that Western countries are attempting to hold their position in the region against the awakening of Muslims. He also said Western powers were causing problems in their countries and sowing discord among Muslim countries. While condemning an Aug. 21 chemical attack in a Damascus suburb, regardless of the perpetrator, Bigdeli said any military intervention would not produce a breakthrough in Syria.

“I hope that Muslim countries, especially Turkey and Iran, move their attitudes closer to each other and help the Egyptian people succeed in their just case.

Iran, Turkey and Egypt are three important backbones of the Islamic world,” he said, while voicing concern over the bloodshed in Egypt.