Iran embassy protests to Turkish daily article

Ankara, May 23, IRNA – Iranian embassy in Turkey protested to the Yeni Safak Daily over publishing an article claiming Iran has negative influence on the peace process between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). In a letter to the managing director of the daily, the embassy noted that a number of analyses and articles regarding Iran’s “negative” impact on the peace process between the Turkish government and the PKK has been published in the media and press including the one in Yeni Safak which points to Iran’s alleged attempts to sabotage in the peace process. It also referred to a number of TV series which try to propagate the same idea. Stressing that the peace process is an internal affair, the letter asked why certain analysts are all of a sudden tending to ignore the whole bunch of advances in bilateral ties especially the mutual security cooperation in the past years and write against Iran? It said the first reason seems to be that these analysts are distrustful towards the very essence of the process which has already started. They imagine that it is only Tehran that can turn the process into a failure, the letter added. It further regretted that Iran’s positive and constructive role in promoting peace and stability and reinforcing regional convergence and cooperation is ignored. Such claims are put forward by those who are not interested in settlement of the problem, it said, stating that Tehran supports the peace process in Turkey./end