Erdogan receives Rahimi in Ankara

 

 

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday received Iran's Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi in an official ceremony in  Ankara yesterday. Speaking in a joint press conference with Rahimi about yesterday’s parliamentary motion that authorizes military  operation against Syria, Erdogan said Turkey would never want to start a war and Parliament had authorized foreign deployment of  troops as a deterrent after the fatal Syrian shelling of southeast Turkey. "This was not the first attack of Syria against Turkey. There were  seven other attacks made by Syria on Turkey in recent times. Erdogan also criticized Syria over increasingly growing number of  attacks on Turkey and said these attacks couldn’t be an accident. "We could never be interested in something like starting a war,"  Erdogan stressed. For his part, Rahimi offered his condolences to those who have lost their lives as a result of a Syrian attack on  southeastern town of Akcakale, stressing that Iran condemned all acts of violence."You have all seen the tyrant countries and  violence. The Islamic Republic of Iran has led all efforts against such countries. We have been on Turkey's side in such matters,"  Rahimi said.