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The recitation of a poem by President Erdogan in Azerbaijan triggers a diplomatic dispute between the two countries
A poem recited by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Azerbaijan it sparked a dispute between his country and Iran, which accused Ankara of undermining its territorial integrity.
“We condemn the aggressive comments directed at the president and our country under the pretext of a poem”Erdogan’s communications director, Fahrettin Altun, said in response to a question on Saturday.
In a statement posted on the president’s website, Altun argued that the Iranian authorities had tried to distort the overall context of the poem.
Thursday, the Erdogan recited a poem in the Azerbaijani capital Baku about separation of areas inhabited mainly by Azeris between Iran and Russia in the 19th century.
Erdogan was addressing one Military Parade for celebrating Azerbaijan’s territorial gains against Armenia in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Iran claimed that the poem was an interference in its internal affairs and called the Turkish ambassador in the Foreign Ministry. Turkey also summoned the Iranian ambassador to the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Friday night.
Erdogan’s comments were “based on wishful thinking,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Friday.
The Turkish leader inadvertently recited a poem to him “It refers to the forced separation of areas north of Aras from the Iranian homeland”, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter.
“NOBODY CAN TALK ABOUT OUR FAVORITE AZERBAIJAN”he added.
Iran has two regions that share this name, West and East Azerbaijan. With Ardabil Province, the region is home to more than 11 million Azeris.
THE Territorial integrity of Iran he did not mention the poem at all, Altun said, urging Tehran to avoid any rhetoric that could “overshadow our bilateral relations.”
Iran “must not forget” that Turkey supported it in difficult times and international pressure, Altun said without referring to any specific incident.
Turkey harshly criticizes US sanctions against Iran, whose main objective is to limit Tehran’s nuclear program.
Source: Athens / Macedonia News Agency
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