Iran’s foreign ministry summoned Turkey’s ambassador to Iran on Friday over the controversial poem by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that was recited during a parade in Baku.
The poem suggests that the Iranian provinces of Azerbaijan, populated by Azerbaijan, were part of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
“They split the Aras River and filled it with rocks and rods. I will not be separated from you. They forcibly separated us, ”says the poem. Aras is a border river between the Republic of Azerbaijan and two Turkish Azeri ethnic majority provinces in Iran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh announced Friday afternoon that the Foreign Ministry had summoned the Turkish ambassador in response to Erdogan’s “interventionist and unacceptable” remarks during his trip to Baku.
“Today, Friday December 11, 2020, the Turkish Ambassador to Tehran was summoned to the Foreign Ministry by the Deputy Minister and Director General of Eurasia, and while expressing strong protests, he was underlined at the ambassador that the Islamic Republic of Iran wants an immediate explanation from the Turkish government, ”Khatibzadeh said in a statement.
He added: “During the summons, the Turkish Ambassador was informed that the era of land claims and warmongering and expansionist empires was over.
Khatibzadeh also said the Foreign Ministry told the ambassador that Iran will not allow anyone to interfere with the country’s territorial integrity.
“It was emphasized to the Turkish Ambassador that the Islamic Republic of Iran does not allow anyone to interfere with its territorial integrity and, as its glorious history shows, it will not compromise its national security at all,” he said. declared the spokesperson.
Earlier on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also responded to Erdogan’s poem, claiming the poem was bogus.
“Near. Erdogan was not told that what he recited badly in Baku referred to the forced separation of areas north of Aras from the Iranian homeland. Did he not realize that he was undermining the sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan? NO ONE can talk about OUR beloved Azerbaijan, ”the Iranian chief diplomat tweeted.
Zarif also posted the same tweet in Persian, a language he rarely uses on Twitter. The Persian version of the tweet is slightly different from the English version.
“They did not tell Erdogan that the poem he mistakenly recited in Baku was linked to the forced separation of areas north of Aras from the Iranian homeland,” Zarif said in the Persian tweet.
Erdogan’s poem also sparked outrage among Iranians on social media platforms, with many users responding by posting historical maps showing that the Republic of Azerbaijan itself was once part of Iran.
Former and current Iranian officials also responded to the controversial poem. Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadai, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said Erdogan’s positions did not ensure the security of the region.
“Erdogan’s pan-Turkish positions and slogans do not ensure the security of the region, nor are they in accordance with the interests and friendly relations between Iran and Turkey. Historically, significant parts of the Middle East, Central Asia, beyond the Caucasus, even Europe and Africa, were once under Iranian control, ”said lawmaker Jahanabadai.
Source: Tehran Times