Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Turkish FM advises West to respect Iran

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Ankara, March 20, IRNA – Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan on Thursday advised the West to respect Iran as a country with important culture and history and to hold dialogue with it in an equal position.

“Iran’s nuclear issue is one of the most important points between Iran and the West; Turkey believes that any country is entitled to peaceful nuclear energy. The West, of course, regards Iran’s nuclear program with doubt and hesitation and they have some concerns. Since the beginning, Ankara believed that the policy of pressure on Iran and its marginalization is wrong and one cannot get any result from it. So, it advises its friends in the west and the US to solve the problem only through dialogue,” Babacan said in a live interview with Turkish state TV Kanal 7.

He also outlined the recent visit of Turkish President Abdullah Gul to Tehran and his meetings with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on the sidelines of the 10th Economic Cooperation Organization Summit.

Babacan emphasized that dialogue with Iran should be coupled with respect.

“In relations the word `respect’ should be underlined and Iran should be an addressee in an equal position. We tell the West to sit on the negotiation table with the country as a party with equal sovereignty,” he added.