Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has warned Turkey against a possible military operation in Syria, saying that Ankara's security cannot be created through an operation in the neighboring country.
Zarif made the remarks while addressing a session at the Iranian Parliament on Sunday, where he referred to the recent comments made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday, in which he said that Ankara could launch an operation "today or tomorrow."
"We have stated that the only way to maintain security in Turkey is to establish the [Syrian] central government’s military presence in the border areas, and under the Adana Agreement this can be done," he said, as cited by Tasnim News Agency.
"Security [in Turkey] cannot be created through (military) action against Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty."
Zarif further argued that the security in the region is possible if two principles are followed, "first, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity and security of all regional countries, and second, respect for the rights of all its inhabitants, including our Kurdish brothers and sisters…," according to the report.
Erdogan has repeatedly threatened to carry out an operation against the Syrian Kurdish forces as Turkey views them as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is designated as a "terrorist organization" by Ankara.
Turkey on Sunday deployed reinforcements to the border areas, while Erdogan said on Saturday that his country had completed the preparations for a military campaign in Syria.
