Ankara Warns Mehmanparast Over Iran's Remarks On Patriots

Turkey has warned Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast, who is currently in Turkey for an official visit, of Turkish officials' displeasure over Iran's remarks on the Patriot deployment in Turkey.



Iranian Maj. Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi, whose remarks came after the Pentagon announced that it would send two Patriot missile batteries and 400 troops to Turkey as part of a larger NATO force to protect Turkish territory from potential Syrian missile attacks, called on the Western military alliance to reverse its decision to deploy the defense system, saying that such a move risks a conflict with Syria.



Firouzabadi said the Patriot deployment aims to protect Israel from Iranian missile attacks and to inhibit a potential Russian military defense of Syria. Firouzabadi maintained that Western countries were setting the stage for a world war when they approved of the deployment of Patriots along the Syrian-Turkish border.



"Each one of these Patriots is a black mark on the world map and is meant to cause a world war," Firouzabadi had said, according to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA). "They are making plans for a world war and this is very dangerous for the future of humanity and for the future of Europe itself," he said, adding that Turkey, the US and European states should dismantle the Patriots and take them away from the region before shots are fired.



Referring to Firouzabadi's statements, a Turkish official who spoke to Today's Zaman on condition of anonymity said the sole purpose of deploying the Patriot system is to defend Turkey's border. "It doesn't have an aggressive aim towards Syria or any other country," the official said.



The same Turkish official stated that during the meeting between Turkish officials and Mehmanparast, Turkish officials conveyed their displeasure over Iran's stance. "Mehmanparast was told that Turkey has always stood behind remarks made by any Turkish official while Iran has not," the official said.



After a number of threatening remarks against Turkey were made by top Iranian military commanders and high-level officials in the recent past, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi had earlier reiterated that Turkey should only heed the remarks made by Iran's top religious cleric Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and by himself. Salehi previously deemed the remarks made by other officials as "personal opinions" that do not have relation to Iran's official foreign policy.



Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mehmanparast said the remarks made by the Iranian figures also affected Iranian public opinion, stating that these remarks could be misinterpreted.



This is not the first time that Firouzabadi has made such statements. In September, he said that "it will be Turkey's turn next" if it continues to "help advance the warmongering policies of the United States in Syria," a statement which was strongly condemned by Turkish officials, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who called the comments unacceptable and inappropriate, denying that Turkey had meddled in Syrian affairs.



Tehran, a close ally of the Syrian regime, has provided Bashar al-Assad with military and political backing for years and has kept up its strong support for the regime since the Syrian uprising began in March of 2011.



(Cihan/Today's Zaman)