The General Staff of the Armed Forces has denied statements by a senior Turkish military official on Iran’s support for joint military action in northern Iraq against the banned PKK militants.
Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces, described remarks by the Turkish defense minister, who said Iran voiced support for the operation, as “inaccurate”.
“Despite its support for any anti-terrorism measures, the Islamic Republic of Iran views a military campaign inside a third country on the pretext of battling terrorism, without permission from the ruling and legal government of that country, as an illegitimate action,” Mehr News Agency quoted the general as saying.
“Respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries is a key foreign policy tenet of the Islamic Republic.”
Turkey said on Tuesday that Iran has offered verbal support for its latest offensive against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants scattered across the Qandil Mountain range separating Iran from Iraq. Defence Minister Nurettin Canikli said, “Our offer to Iran was to carry out the operation together. Iran, in its remarks at least, has voiced very important support.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced operations against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Qandil and Sinjar on Monday.
Iran and Turkey have improved military cooperation in recent years, despite the two countries supporting opposing sides in the protracted Syrian conflict.
Chairman of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri visited Turkey last year, which was the first to the neighboring country by an Iranian military chief since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Baqeri was then quoted as saying that he agreed with Turkey to hold joint training courses and increase counter-terrorism intelligence sharing.
