Khamenei’s Warning to Erdogan Over Syria Attack: ‘Consider Syria’s Security Your Own Security’

Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, warned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday about the consequences of military attacks on northern Syria, while promising that Tehran would “certainly” cooperate with Turkey in fighting terrorism.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, met with the Islamic Republic’s leader on Tuesday, July 28. Ali Khamenei’s official website reported this meeting on Tuesday.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, arrived in Tehran on Monday evening to hold talks with Iranian officials and participate in a trilateral meeting with his Russian and Iranian counterparts.

He received a formal welcome from his Iranian counterpart, Ibrahim Raisi, on Tuesday morning and then met with the Islamic Republic’s leader.

According to a report published by the Islamic Republic’s leader’s official website shortly after this meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei reminded Recep Tayyip Erdogan that military attacks on northern Syria are “certainly harmful to Syria, harmful to Turkey, and harmful to the region.”

Over the past month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly threatened that his country will launch new military operations against two areas in northern Syria, targeting Kurdish semi-military forces in these areas, which he describes as “terrorists.”

The Islamic Republic, on the one hand, uses violent confrontation against armed Kurdish groups like Turkey does, and on the other hand, because it is an ally of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, it defends this country’s territorial integrity.

The two areas that Turkey intends to attack are part of a 30-kilometer-wide buffer zone that Ankara intends to create along the Turkey-Syria border.

Syria has strongly objected to the creation of such a border buffer zone.

Following this policy, Ali Khamenei on Tuesday, emphasizing that “we consider Turkey’s security and its borders as our own security,” told Mr. Erdogan: “You should also consider Syria’s security as your own security. Syria’s issues should be resolved through negotiations, and Iran, Turkey, Syria, and Russia should end this matter through dialogue.”

According to Khamenei’s website, the Islamic Republic’s leader then responded to the Turkish president’s request for “Iran’s cooperation in fighting terrorist groups,” saying: “We will certainly cooperate with you in fighting terrorism.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, Ibrahim Raisi was also present, but Khamenei’s website made no reference to his remarks, if he made any.

The governments of Iran and Russia have made extensive efforts to preserve Bashar al-Assad’s government during Syria’s 11-year war, and according to many analysts, if this extensive effort had not been made, Mr. Assad’s regime would no longer exist.

Ali Khamenei will also meet with Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, on Tuesday. No report of Mr. Putin’s arrival in Tehran has been published yet.

Source: Radio Farda