TEHRAN – Calling for a regional alliance that includes Iran and Turkey, a Turkish lawyer invites Ankara and Tehran “not to make the enemies happy” over minor issues or misunderstandings that may arise.

A controversy started on Thursday after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recited epic poems that sparked widespread outrage in Iran, with many Iranian officials strongly rejecting any territorial claims against Iran.

However, the dispute was settled when Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif on Saturday evening to assure him that his country respects the Islamic Republic of Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Lawyer Onur Sinan Güzaltan tells the Tehran Times that “We need to underline the statements from the Turkish presidential spokesman Omer Celik's after the poem crisis ‘let us not make our enemies happy’.”

Sinan notes that Turkey and Iran are two major neighbors with a rich history and deep ties “who have lived in peace for nearly 400 years.”
“Cooperation and mutual respect have always a the top priority” he adds.

The following is the text of the interview:

Q: What is your opinion about the poem that Mr. Erdogan recited at the Baku parade? What was his purpose and why was it misunderstood?

A: Turkey and Iran are two major countries with solid-state traditions, and two neighbors who have lived in peace for nearly 400 years since the Treaty of Qasr-e Shirin (Zuhab) was signed in 1639.

Although there have been disputes between these two states through the course of history, cooperation and mutual respect have always been a top priority.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the ceremonies of Nagorno-Karabakh’s liberation from the occupation of Armenia, which had been backed by Western imperialism.

During his speech in the ceremonies, he proposed a six-country platform for the issues in the Caucasus, which Turkey, Iran, Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and even Armenia, if they could manage to change their political attitudes, could join the platform.

Unfortunately, instead of paying attention to this proposal to unite West Asia, firestorms were blown over a poem that Erdogan read during his speech, and the important point sadly got ignored.

Some people expected to create a firestorm between Ankara and Tehran over such a simple issue, the "poem about the Aras River", but after the statements made by conscientious officials from both countries, it was announced to the world that there was a misunderstanding and that the 400 years of friendship would continue.

We must understand very well that the possible winners of the cooperation between Turkey and Iran, would not only be these two countries but also entire West Asia, while a possible dispute between the two countries will only be in favor of the United States and Israel.

Q: What was the Turkish media’s impression of the Iranian reaction to Erdogan’s poem recitation in the Baku parade?

A: The poem that President Erdogan read was not perceived as a threat towards the Iranian territorial integrity in Turkey.

However, when there were some harsh accusations from some Iranian groups, it immediately woke up some groups in Turkey, that have been uncomfortable with the Ankara-Tehran cooperation.

However, the Turkish government has managed to ease down the situation by making some constructive explanations.

And the overall mood has finally eased down in the media after the government officials and other key politicians in Turkey have explained the situation clearly.

As this small crisis shows us that those who want the Ankara-Tehran relations to deteriorate are those who play in the hands of the pro-Atlantic supporters.

Q: What is the position of the Turkish government towards some separatists who believe in Greater Azerbaijan?

A: Turkey, as a neighbor, respects Iran’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

The Republic of Turkey has never pursued a policy that targets to disrupt the Iranian territorial integrity, in its entire history. On the contrary, Ankara has mostly pursued a policy that prioritizes the internal stability of Iran.

And recently on the issue of the nuclear deal, the Turkish government, together with the Brazilian government, played as a mediator that protected Iranian interests in the international arena and tried to put an end to the imperialist approach towards Iran.

And the fact that Turkey has continued its trade activities with Iran despite all international pressures and embargoes, could also be seen as an indication of the goodwill and the willingness of Turkey to cooperate.

Turkey, which has been fighting against the American puppet PKK terrorist organization for nearly four decades, is pursuing a policy against any movements that want to partition and weaken the countries of the region, as part of the imperialist plans.

Q: Why are some think tanks in Turkey, such as Iram, associated with anti-Iranian and separatist activists?

Unfortunately, there are some groups in Turkey that are not comfortable with the cooperation between Turkey and Iran, just like similar groups in Iran.

The main body of these groups consists of Atlantic supporters, and/or those who look at the world from a sectarian point of view.

The way to neutralize these groups would be through even deeper cooperation between Ankara and Tehran.

The good relations between the two countries and the unchanging border for 400 years are the clear signs that the Turkish government and the Turkish nation, do not have the slightest problem with the territorial integrity of Iran.

Misunderstandings such as this poem crisis make it much easier for the United States, Israel, and their sectarian puppets to infiltrate and cause friction between Ankara and Tehran.

We know that Israel really hopes the Ankara-Tehran relations to collapse, with all their hearts.

We need to underline the statements from the Turkish presidential spokesman Omer Celik after the poem crisis "let us not make our enemies happy".

And we are also sure that the Iranian officials know that the winners of a possible dispute with Turkey would be the United States and Israel.

Q: Given Biden's recent remarks about Erdogan, how do you see the relationship between Turkey and the United States during the Biden era?

A: We can see that some groups in the region had been hoping for the election of Joe Biden instead of Trump before the elections. Especially some opposition parties in Turkey have welcomed Biden's election win.

We have also read some articles, praising Biden's election win, in connection with the nuclear deal with Iran.

History is full of examples of why Atlantic imperialism can never be trusted.

The leadership that has tried to find a middle way or a deal with imperialism has also blown apart in our region.

We know that Biden plans to work with the staff from the Obama administration.

Although a facade of softening towards West Asia was presented during the Obama administration, the result was blood and tears once more, throughout the region and especially in Syria.

It was only the methodology that changed with the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations, but the final goal of the U.S. imperialism would still be to rule over West Asia by destabilizing it.

Those who hope the United States will change policy are horribly wrong.

There are countries in the region that have taken action together during the Astana process, which led to some important achievements regarding the Syrian crisis.

It is possible to implement the same mechanism in the Caucasus today.

President Erdogan's proposal for a six-country platform in Baku can be considered in this context.

On the other hand, we can see that the imperialist siege in the Eastern Mediterranean has been growing and Israel, which now has the support of the West, wants to gather the Arab countries under the name of "normalization", and put them into an anti-Turkey and anti-Iran camp.

The nations of West Asia can only retaliate to this unholy alliance of the imperialist powers with their own alliance.

Turkey and Iran are the main dynamics of a possible regional alliance. Of course, we must not forget our northern neighbor, Russia.

If we manage to act as a united front, at least in our policies against imperialism, our region may be fully stabilized from the Caucasus to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East (West Asia).

Otherwise, some radical nationalist and sectarian perspectives will make it easier for imperialism to rule over our region.