Turkish FM says Ankara opposes military action against Iran

ISTANBUL — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said Ankara opposes any military intervention in Iran and supports a peaceful, internal resolution of the country’s issues by its own people.“We have told our counterparts at every opportunity that we are against a military intervention targeting Iran,” Fidan said, speaking at a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul on Friday.“We hope that Iran’s internal issues will be resolved peacefully by the Iranian people without any external intervention,” he added.The remarks came after a meeting between the two foreign ministers in Istanbul.The Turkish foreign minister also said that regional and bilateral issues were discussed in depth during the meeting, stressing that stability and security in the region remain among the core priorities of Turkish foreign policy.“Ensuring the stability and security of our region is one of the fundamental priorities of our foreign policy. We have always advocated that regional problems should be resolved through a sense of regional ownership,” he said.He noted that Turkey conducts its policies in the Middle East, the Balkans, and the South Caucasus entirely in line with this principle.Fidan also emphasized that the peace and prosperity of neighboring Iran are of great importance not only for Turkey but for the broader region.The minister said developments in Iran are being closely monitored.“We would like to reiterate our deep sorrow over the loss of lives during the protests and extend our condolences to the Iranian people. It is encouraging that the incidents have largely subsided. We hope that calm will be permanent,” Fidan said.He also warned that the PKK terrorist organization has been attempting to exploit recent developments, saying this poses a danger not only to Turkey but also to Iran.Stressing the need for a joint struggle against the PKK, Fidan further highlighted the critical importance of resuming Iran-US nuclear negotiations on constructive grounds in order to reduce regional tensions.“The negotiations would also pave the way for the lifting of sanctions on Iran and for Iran’s integration into the international economic system. These steps would bring significant gains for all parties. At this stage, relations need to be normalized on the basis of a new agreement,” Fidan said.He reiterated that Turkey has consistently conveyed to all counterparts its opposition to any military intervention against Iran.Fidan said: “We repeat once again from here that we are against resorting to military options to resolve problems. We do not believe this would be effective.”Fidan said he reiterated to his Iranian counterpart that Turkey stands ready to provide all necessary support for resolving issues through peaceful means.“At the same time, we observe that Israel is attempting to persuade the US to carry out a military strike against Iran. These efforts by Israel have the potential to severely damage the already fragile stability of our region. We hope that the US administration will act with prudence and will not allow this to happen. Israel must put an end to its destabilizing policies in the region,” he said.Fidan also said that recent developments concerning Gaza were discussed during the meeting. — Agencies