Iran Summons Turkish Envoy Over Prez Erdogan’s Poem Which Allegedly Flared ‘separatism’

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has summoned Turkey’s ambassador over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s controversial remarks made during his visit to Azerbaijan, which according to the Iranian regime, flared ‘separatism’ among Azeri communities. In his visit to the Azeri capital Baku, where he participated in Azerbaijan’s victory military parade, the Turkish president recited a19th century Azeri-Iranian poem calling the Iranian provinces of Azerbaijan part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Condemning Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recitation as “interventionist” and provocative, Iran summoned the Turkish envoy for an immediate explanation for their President’s comments. 

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded to the controversial poem, saying, that the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “wrongly” hurled false claims, local Tehran Times reported. The chief Iranian diplomat also published a tweet, condemning the Turkish president as he wrote, “Pres. Erdogan was not informed that what he ill-recited in Baku refers to the forcible separation of areas north of Aras from the Iranian motherland. Didn’t he realize that he was undermining the sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan?” He added, “No one can talk about our beloved Azerbaijan,” in a warning tone. In a separate Persian tweet, the Iranian minister said, “They didn’t tell Erdogan that the poem that he wrongly recited in Baku is related to the forcible separation of areas north of Aras from Iranian motherland.”