TEHRAN -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Tuesday advised Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan not to launch a new military operation in Syria.
A new military operation would “be to the detriment of Syria, Turkey and the region”, Ayatollah Khamenei said.
The Leader said Iran would “certainly cooperate” with Turkey “in fighting terrorism”, but stated that a new offensive in Syria would actually benefit terrorists who are not limited to a certain group.
Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran considers the security of Turkey’s borders as it would its own, adding issues in Syria must be resolved through dialogue.
“The Syrian issues must be settled through negotiations, and Iran, Turkey, Syria and Russia must solve this issue through dialog,” Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized.
The Leader stressed the importance of “useful and necessary” cooperation between Iran and Turkey on all regional issues, saying, “We have always defended your government in internal issues and against interference and as you have said, we have been each other’s friends in difficult times and we pray for the Muslim nation of Turkey.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the issue of Palestine and stated that the Zionist regime is one of the main forces driving a wedge among Muslim countries.
“Today, neither the Zionist regime, nor the U.S. nor others will be able to stop the deep movement of the Palestinians, and the final result will be in the interest of the Palestinian people.”
Ayatollah Khamenei said the Islamic nation’s dignity and honor hinges on overcoming differences and remaining vigilant against divisive policies. He said the usurping Zionist regime, supported by the United States, is one of the factors that sow discord and hostility in the region.
Palestine, the Leader said, is the first and foremost issue of the Muslim world. He said that despite some regional governments’ “inclination” toward Israel, Muslims nations are “deeply against” the occupying regime.
Erdogan was quoted as saying that terrorist groups in the region are militarily supported by Western countries like the United States and European powers.
Erdogan has said in recent months that he will soon launch a military offensive in at least two cities in northern Syria to create a 30km (18.5 miles) “safe zone” by defeating Kurdish fighters in the region that Turkey considers “terrorists”.
He has also warned that Sweden and Finland will not have their NATO accession plans ratified by Turkey if they do not stop supporting Kurdish fighters, and refrain from extraditing individuals that Turkey considers “terrorists”.
Iran and Turkey support the Syrian government and opposition respectively, but have come together on deals that have reduced the intensity of the conflict.
The Turkish president arrived in the Iranian capital late on Monday as the head of a large delegation that included several ministers from his cabinet. He received an official welcome from President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday at the Saadabad cultural complex, where meetings with chief executives take place.
Ayatollah Khamenei and Erdogan also discussed the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia in 2020.
The Leader welcomed the return of Karabakh to Azerbaijan, but cautioned that “if there is a policy to block Iran’s borders with Armenia, the Islamic Republic will oppose it since this border has been a transit link for several thousand years”.
Economic ties were also discussed, with the Turkish president saying he opposes unilateral U.S. sanctions on Iran – which were imposed after the U.S. abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran – and will encourage Turkish companies to invest in the country.
The Leader later received Russian President Vladimir Putin who arrived in Tehran to take part in the three-way summit with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts on the Syria peace process.