TEHRAN, Oct 13 (NNN-IRNA) – Iran has the capacity to help settle the issues between Turkey and Syria, Ramin Mehmanparast, an Iranian diplomat and former spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said, with reference to recent conflicts and military operation by Turkey in northern Syria.
On Wednesday, Turkey launched a military campaign in northern Syria to eliminate the Kurdish forces of the Syrian Democratic Forces and its umbrella of the People’s Protection Units, which are both deemed as terrorists by Ankara.
Turkey’s move was followed by condemnation of European and regional states.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned Turkey’s military campaign, saying that, protecting the Syrian people is the duty of the Syrian army only. Damascus vowed to counter the Turkish attack “by all means possible.”
Iran also frowned on Turkey’s operation, saying, it “understands Turkey’s security concerns, however, it believes that the military action would not diminish Turkey’s security concerns but would cause material and humanitarian damage.”
Iran’s President, Hassan Rouhani, echoed the Syrian government’s position by stating that, it was Syria’s army which should provide security on the borders of the Arab state, including Syria’s borders with Turkey.
“We should provide all the grounds for the presence of Syria’s army in these regions, and all other countries should help,” he noted.
Mehmanparast, in an article published in Tehran, said, “From the perspective of Iran, intervention of foreign forces in Syria are condemned, and Iran has emphasised that all foreigners should leave Syria.”
Accordingly, the recent decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to withdraw the U.S. forces from Syria’s northern borders conforms to Iran’s position, he noted.
Tehran has said that Washington was partly to blame for the situation in Syria that has led to Turkey’s military action.
Mehmanparast, the current Iranian ambassador to Poland and Lithuania, stated that, Iran is an influential country in the region and can use its diplomatic capacity to help resolve regional issues peacefully.
“Iran has close and amicable relations with both the Turkish and Syrian governments,” he said. “Iran is ready to help settle issues between Ankara and Damascus.”
The condition for Iran’s mediation to solve these issues requires “a will and readiness in both Damascus and Ankara,” Mehmanparast concluded.
