Iran summons Turkish ambassador over FM Fidan’s remarks

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has summoned Türkiye’s ambassador to protest remarks by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan criticizing Iran’s regional policies. The move highlights diplomatic tensions between Tehran and Ankara.

Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned the Turkish ambassador to Iran, Hicabi Kirlangic, to express its protest over remarks by Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in which he criticized Iran's regional policies, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

"The common interests of the two countries and the sensitivity of the regional situation require avoiding incorrect statements and unrealistic analyses that could lead to disagreements and tensions in bilateral relations," the statement said.

In an interview with Al Jazeera published last Wednesday, Fidan disapproved of Iran's policy of supporting deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for combatting the terrorist outfits that Ankara was suspected of funding.

"If this is Iran's policy in Syria, I do not think it is the correct one," local media quoted him saying. 
If Tehran seeks to protect its "glass house" from shattering, it should think twice before "throwing stones at others," the Mehr news agency reported.

Observers say that the Turkish envoy was summoned one week after Fidan's statements, which indicates that Iran intends to state its stance and control any possible backlash of adverse developments in its bilateral relations with Ankara. 

Recently Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei reacted to Fidan's remarks and said, "While Tehran and Ankara hold differing views on certain regional issues, we have managed differences through dialogue to prevent damage to bilateral ties." 

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