Turkey dubs Iran’s policies in Syria, Iraq as sectarian

Turkey has strong differences with Iran over policy in Syria and Iraq, and Tehran’s sectarian policies are a danger to the region, but there is no crisis between the two countries, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday.

In an interview on Turkey’s Kanal 24 television, Cavusoglu said Turkey had always supported Iran and wanted to keep good relations with it, but called on Tehran to refrain from “allegations and slander,” without specifying what he was referring to.

In a separate story, the foreign minister has also called on Russia to end “provocative acts” after Turkish media captured images of a Russian soldier apparently pointing a missile launcher as his warship navigated through the Bosporus on its way to the Mediterranean.

The minister renewed a call for the two sides to overcome tensions through diplomatic means and for Russia to halt punitive sanctions on Turkey.

Cavusoglu added: “We are asking Russia to act as a more mature state.”

Turkey has long maintained friendly ties with Iran and Russia, who are both Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s close allies.

(With Reuters and AP)