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Iran accuses Turkey of prolonging civil war in Syria

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ANKARA – Reuters

n_73579_1Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. AFP Photo

Iran has accused Turkey of prolonging the three-year conflict in neighboring Syria by insisting on President Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow and supporting “terrorist groups,” the official IRNA news agency has reported.

Tehran and Ankara back opposing sides in the civil war, which pits rebel forces including radical Sunni Muslim fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) against Assad, Tehran’s closest regional ally.

“Ankara’s interference in Syrian internal affairs has unfortunately resulted in prolonging the war and extensive deaths of innocent Syrian civilians,” Iran’s official IRNA news agency quoted a senior Foreign Ministry official as saying.

“The crisis in Syria could have ended three years ago if Turkish officials stopped demanding regime change and supporting terrorist groups in Syria,” the official said.

The comments appeared to be a response to remarks by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was quoted by Turkish media on Oct. 27 accusing Iran of playing on Syria’s sectarian divisions.

“When we have bilateral meetings with Iran, they agree on solving this issue together. When it comes to action, unfortunately, they have their own way of working,” Erdoğan was quoted as saying.

October/28/2014

Iran, A conference dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the creation of the Armenian town of Julfa Nor in Isfahan

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arton104732-480x334Anniversaire the 400th anniversary of the creation of the Armenian town of Julfa Nor, on the outskirts of Isfahan, was particularly marked by a three-day conference held in the community center Ararat, which traditionally hosts major events punctuating the cultural and community life of the Armenian community. The conference opened on October 21 in the presence of the governor and deputy governor of Isfahan, the head of religious affairs

Rouhani Invited to Commemorate Genocide Centennial in Yerevan

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abram-rouhaniTEHRAN—Armenia’s Prime Minister Hovik Abrhamian had a meeting with Iranian President Hasan Rouhani on Monday in Tehran, where he presented Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian’s invitation to President Rouhani to join him in commemorating the centennial of the Armenian Genocide in Yerevan in April 2015. report asbarez

“We appreciate the close, good-neighborly relations with Iran rooted in the basis of centuries-old friendship between our peoples. Armenian-Iranian relations are on a high level and continue to develop in an atmosphere of mutual understanding,” Abrahamian said during the meeting.

President Rouhani noted, in turn that the Armenian prime Minister’s visit would contribute to the further deepening of friendly relations in different spheres. He said “Iran is willing to support the initiatives of the Armenian side and the implementation of joint programs.”

Abrahamian noted that Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Union provides an opportunity to assume the role of a bridge between the members of the Eurasian Economic Union and foreign trading partners. He added that favorable conditions have been created in Armenia for making investments.

The Iranian President also hailed the role of the Iranian-Armenian community in the development of the country.

The parties referred to the Karabakh conflict and other regional issues. Abrahamian noted that Armenia is committed to the settlement of the Karabakh issue exceptionally in a peaceful way within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. The parties emphasized the importance of resolution of regional conflicts and stressed the need to ensure peace and stability in the region.

Iran, Armenia Form Commission to Boost Trade

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parsqTEHRAN—Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani spoke of “bright prospects” for deepening Armenian-Iranian relations and called on Armenia to join the Islamic Republic in fighting against “terrorism” in the broader region during talks with Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamian in Tehran on Monday, reports RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).

In an apparent reference to Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Syria and Iraq, Rouhani was reported to denounce “terrorists targeting civilizations and humanity” and indiscriminately killing both Christians and Muslims.

He said, “Iran and Armenia and all regional states should join forces to fight terrorism because security in the region will become sustainable only through collective cooperation,” reported the official IRNA news agency. “Security is a non-dividable category and if a country suffers from terrorism, other countries will suffer too.”

According to IRNA, Rouhani “called for fully using the existing capacity to expand relations” between Armenia and Iran. He said there are “bright prospect” for doing that because both governments are committed to closer ties.

Senior officials from Iran and Armenia agreed on Monday to establish a high joint commission to elevate bilateral ties in a host of fields, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported.

The decision to create the commission was made in a meeting between Iranian First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri and visiting Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamian in Tehran on Monday prior to Abrahamian’s meeting with Rouhani.

Speaking at a joint press conference with the Armenian premier, Jahangiri said the meeting has covered a range of items from economic ties to environmental issues.

He announced that the volume of trade exchange between the two countries stands at $300 million per year and expressed hope that closer cooperation could bring even higher volumes of trade.

“Given the fact that Armenia has recently joined the Eurasian Economic Union, a good opportunity will be provided for the two countries’ private sectors to trade goods and also export them to neighboring countries,” Jahangiri added, noting that Armenia will be an important route for Iran to trade with EEU member states.

Abrahamian, for his part, said Tehran and Yerevan concluded several agreements in various fields, adding that officials from the two sides will devise plans for the enhancement of economic relations through the planned joint commission.

Jahangiri also announced that Iran plans to build a hydropower plant on the Armenian side of the Arax River in order to increase Armenia’s capacity for supplying electricity to Iran in exchange for natural gas, a barter trade deal the two countries struck in 2009.

New power transmission line to be constructed between Iran and Armenia
Similarly, on Saturday, the Iranian and Armenian energy ministers agreed on the construction of a new power transmission line from Armenia to Iran in line with the two country’s efforts to boost energy ties, Tansim News Agency reported.

In an hour-long, closed-door meeting in Tehran on Saturday evening, Hamid Chitchian and his Armenian counterpart Yervand Zakharian held talks on ways to boost electricity for gas trade, based on which Iran supplies gas to Armenia and receives electricity.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Chitchian said during the talks it was agreed that the third power transmission line between the two countries and two hydroelectric power plants be constructed in a bid to increase the potential for energy exchange.

He said that over the past two decades, the two countries have had good cooperation in the area of energy and the Saturday meeting was an emphasis on the continued cooperation between Iran and Armenia.

Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s Deputy Energy Minister Houshang Falahatian had said that the two sides have recently held meetings with Armenian officials and, based on agreements, are constructing new power transmission lines from Armenia to Iran.

In May 2009, Iran and Armenia started trading gas and electricity. According to a contract previously signed between the two countries, Iran was set to supply gas to Armenia until 2029 with or without exchanging electricity with the country.

Falahatian also said that the amount of gas that has been exported to Armenia and the amount of electricity imported from the country did not match the agreed amounts based on the contract between the two sides.

The financial resources for the new transmission line have been supplied by Export Development Bank of Iran, he added.

US-Lebanese reporter dies in Turkey, Iranian TV calls accident ‘suspicious’

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n_73214_1Lebanese-American reporter Serena Shim, 30, was married with two children.

A Lebanese-American reporter has been killed in a car crash near Turkey’s border with Syria, in what the state-owned Iranian TV station she worked for described as a “suspicious” accident.

Serena Shim, a 30-year-old U.S. citizen of Lebanese origin, was killed on Oct. 19 while she was returning to her hotel from the scene in the city of Suruç in Turkey’s Şanlıurfa province when the car her team had rented collided with a heavy vehicle.

Shim, who had been covering the battle for Kobane for Press TV in Lebanon, Iraq and Ukraine, was killed, while cameraman Judy Irish was injured in the crash. The driver of the concrete mixer that hit the reporter’s car has been arrested, although his identity has not been released, according to Doğan News Agency. Turkey’s semi-official Anadolu Agency reported that Shim had arrived in Suruç last week.

On Oct. 17, Shim told Press TV that the Turkish intelligence agency had accused her of spying “probably due to some of the stories she had covered about Turkey’s stance on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant [ISIL] militants in Kobane” across the border from Suruç, adding that she feared being arrested. She also claimed that she had received images of militants crossing the Turkish border into Syria in World Food Organization and other NGOs trucks.

İzzettin Küçük, governor of Şanlıurfa, denied Press TV’s claims, describing the allegations as “completely baseless.” After stressing that a detailed explanation about Shim’s death would be made after the investigation is concluded, Küçük said the claims were “attempts to put Turkey in a difficult situation.”

October/20/2014

Iranian Deputy FM Emir Abdullahyan recently accused Turkey of pursuing Neo-Ottomanism in the region.

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n_73147_1Ambassador Alireza Bigdeli. Hürriyet photo by Levent Kulu

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has summoned Iranian Ambassador to Turkey Alireza Bigdeli over several statements from Iranian officials criticizing policies of Ankara on Syria.

“Turkey does not need to ask permission from anyone while taking measures in line with international law against threats to its national security,” Anadolu Agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç on Oct. 17.

Turkey denounces remarks by Iranian officials who should instead remain silent to what has been happening in Kobane and the humanitarian tragedy in the region with the feeling of “shame,” because Iran has been a supporter of the Syrian regime that has caused the “terror problem” in the region, Bilgiç also said.

Bilgiç said Iran requested permission be granted from the Syrian regime for any help to the Syrian people. Turkey expressed its unease over the statements to the Iranian ambassador, he added.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Emir Abdullahyan had recently accused Turkey of pursuing Neo-Ottomanism in the region.

Iranian Chief of General Staff Hasan Firuzabadi, meanwhile, indirectly criticized Turkey for blocking aid to Kobane, a Kurdish town on Syria’s border with Turkey that has been attacked by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants.

Iran warns Turkey over military presence in Syria

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Iran-warren-turkeyIran has warned the government of Turkey against possible military intervention in Syria as ISIL Takfiri terrorists close in on the Syrian town of Kobani near the Arab country’s border with Turkey.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Thursday that Tehran and Turkey are in consultation over the situation in the Kurdish city, noting that the Islamic Republic has warned Turkey against ground operations in Syria.

He added that negotiations over the situation in Syria are going on with Tehran and Ankara trying to find a solution to the crisis in Kobani.

“During our preliminary consultations with Turkey, we have found out that this country does not seek escalation of crisis in the region and we hope it would play a positive role in this regard,” the Iranian deputy foreign minister added.

The Iranian diplomat stated that Iran and Turkey are in dialogue over Syria and Iran believes that Turkey can play an effective role in facilitating the return of displaced Syrians to their homeland.

Explaining about Iran’s solution for the ongoing crisis in Kobani, Amir-Abdollahian said, “Regional talks are underway over this issue and we hope a serious measure is taken in this regard.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will take any necessary action to help the Kurds in Kobani in line with its support for the Syrian government in its fight against terrorism,” added Amir-Abdollahian.

Kobani and its surroundings have been under attack since mid-September, with ISIL militants capturing dozens of nearby Kurdish villages. The weeks-long intense battle for the strategic town has forced nearly 200,000 people to take refuge in Turkey.

On October 2, Turkish lawmakers passed a controversial motion authorizing the government to carry out military operations against ISIL Takfiri terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

The parliament’s decision came days after the Turkish government stationed some 15 tanks that took position in the border town of Mursitpinar situated northwest of the Syrian border town of Ain al-Arab, known as Kobani to Kurds.

In a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, on October 2, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif referred to the Turkish parliament’s decision to authorize military operations in Iraq and Syria, expressing concern about any measure that could further complicate the situation in the region.

 

Iran warns Turkey against a worsening of the regional situation

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arton103897-480x270Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned Ankara Thursday against a “deterioration” of the situation in the Middle East after the decision of the Turkish Parliament to authorize military intervention in Syria and Iraq.
“Mr. Zarif criticized the method chosen to fight against terrorism and expressed concern about any action that would aggravate the situation” in a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu,

Israeli Drone Caught Spying on Iran ‘Took Off from Nakhijevan’

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376758_Israel-spy-droneNAKHIJEVAN, Azerbaijan—An Israeli spy drone which Iran recently downed on its way to one of the Iranian nuclear site had taken off from an air base in Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan (Nakhijevan) exclave, sources say.

The anonymous sources said the Hermes drone, which was taken down by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) forces on Aug. 23 after 300 kilometers of flight, was bound for the Natanz enrichment facility in central Iran.

The revelation about the Israeli drone’s launch site indicates Baku’s involvement in the spying mission, the unnamed sources claimed.

The stealth spy drone was targeted by a surface-to-air missile before it reached the strategic location.

Iran’s nuclear facilities have been a regular target for espionage activities by US and Israeli intelligence services, which have at times used drones for this purpose.

Azeri officials continue to claim that they will never allow their country to be used as a launch pad against Iran, but the Baku government has been serving the Israeli government’s interests in the region.

Israel’s strategic Haifa port receives nearly 40 percent of its oil needs from the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline cutting across Azerbaijan.

In another sign of Azerbaijan’s hostility against the Islamic Republic, a separatist cell calling itself “World Azerbaijanis Congress” recently held an anti-Iran forum in Baku.

The World Azerbaijanis Congress, which was founded in the United States in 1997, seeks the separation of Iran’s northwestern provinces of East and West Azerbaijan and their unification with the neighboring Republic of Azerbaijan.

Iran Says Purported Israeli Drone Came From North

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TEHRAN, Iran — Aug 27, 2014,

An Iranian general said Wednesday that a purported Israeli drone shot down near a nuclear facility in the Islamic Republic flew in from a northern country that once was part of 13930603000323_PhotoIthe Soviet Union. report by associated press

The semi-official Fars news agency, close to the Revolutionary Guard, quoted Gen. Masoud Jazayeri making the allegation. It reported that Jazayeri, the deputy chief of staff in Iran’s armed forces, said the country must make “compensatory actions” or else be publicly named.

There are three former Soviet republics immediately north of Iran: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Iran in the past had criticized Azerbaijan for its close ties with Israel and the country does operate drones like the one Iran said it shot down.

On Sunday, Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard said it shot down the purported Israeli drone near the country’s uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, some 240 kilometers (150 miles) south of the capital, Tehran. State television aired footage of the purported drone Monday and identified it as a Hermes 450 drone, which is manufactured in Israel.

Israeli officials have not commented on the incident.

Questions immediately arose about the drone after Sunday’s announcement, including how the aircraft could have flown all the way into Iran from Israel. It could have made the trip from one of Iran’s northern neighbors, however.

Fars quoted Jazayeri as saying Iran’s response will not be limited to shooting down the drone.

“We will respond to the enemy in the occupied lands,” he said, without elaborating.

Iran does not recognize Israel and supports militant groups like Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which both have fought wars against Israel.