TEHRAN – The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Thursday urging Turkey to immediately stop offensive against northeastern Syria and withdraw its forces from the region.

Turkey launched military operation against Syrian Kurdish fighters, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in northeast Syria on Wednesday. 

Iran’s Foreign Ministry statement said, “As it has been announced earlier, the Islamic Republic of Iran considers the current regional situation a consequence of extra-regional interferences, especially by the United States. 

The ministry said Iran, by capitalizing on regional influence, has solutions to problems haunting the region.
 
“Based on its view on solving problems within its regional capacities, Iran is ready to play a role,” it stated.

The crisis can just be settled through peaceful solutions and respect for Syria’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty, the statement added.

President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that security at Syria-Turkey borders can just be provided by the Syrian Army.

“We have announced that security at the north of Syria and south of Turkey can just be provided by the Syrian Army and we should make the grounds for the Syrian Army’s presence in this region. Other countries should help and the United States’ forces leave this region, and the Kurds in this region, which is their own country, should be beside the Syrian Army,” he said at a cabinet session.

However, Rouhani said, the Turkish government has concerns about its southern borders which should be allayed.

“We believe that the right way and method should be chosen on this path,” he added.

Rouhani also said, “Today, the main issue is not north of Syria and east of Euphrates. The main problem is the Idlib region in which all the terrorists have gathered. We hope that the regional countries would help in this respect and the government of Turkey would be more careful in this line so that we will not face a new problem in the region.”

Analysts and officials from different countries have warned that Turkish military attack on Kurdish fighters in Syria might create a power vacuum and lead to a re-emergence of Daesh, also called ISIS.

NA/PA