Davutoglu: "We oppose any external intervention in the mideast"

Turkey is opposed to external intervention in the Mideast, said Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Iran on Sunday, as part of Ankara's efforts to resolve regional issues in cooperation with the concerned parties. After meeting with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi, Davutoglu told a joint press conference that they had discussed regional issues. According to the Persian News Agency, Davutoglu proposed that the leaders of Bahrain, Yemen and Libya exchange views with Tehran. Davutoglu reportedly said that Iran, as a regional power, has important views on solving problems in these countries. "We are against any type of external intervention in the region," said Davutoglu, adding that people in many countries in the region have legitimate demands which should be peacefully transformed into a reform process. "Yet we are sensitive to the human rights violations and repercussions that might arise from people's legitimate demands. In this historic transition period, we underline that everybody involved must act responsibly and conduct themselves properly." Salehi, for his part, said that Ankara and Tehran enjoy strong relations and that since Turkey, Iran and Syria are like a close-knit family, they should work together to deal with any problems that might arise.