Turkey summons Iran envoy over press criticism of Erdogan
- 8 years ago
Turkey said on Thursday it had summoned Iran's ambassador to protest attacks on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Iranian press in the wake of a diplomatic crisis between Tehran and Riyadh.
Erdogan has refused to condemn Saudi Arabia's execution of prominent Shiite cleric and activist Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr this month.
The execution sparked outrage in Shiite-majority areas of the Middle East, and protesters in Iran attacked two Saudi diplomatic missions, prompting Riyadh to sever diplomatic ties.
"We strongly condemn our president being directly targeted in certain articles in Iranian outlets controlled by the Iranian authorities... and demand that these articles cease immediately," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.
It added that attacks on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the kingdom's consulate in Iran's second city Mashhad were "unacceptable and deplorable," saying that the safety of diplomatic mission was a responsibility of the host country.
Erdogan has refused to condemn Saudi Arabia's execution of prominent Shiite cleric and activist Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr this month.
The execution sparked outrage in Shiite-majority areas of the Middle East, and protesters in Iran attacked two Saudi diplomatic missions, prompting Riyadh to sever diplomatic ties.
"We strongly condemn our president being directly targeted in certain articles in Iranian outlets controlled by the Iranian authorities... and demand that these articles cease immediately," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.
It added that attacks on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the kingdom's consulate in Iran's second city Mashhad were "unacceptable and deplorable," saying that the safety of diplomatic mission was a responsibility of the host country.