Russian and Turkish presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan are deeply concerned about the escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran, according to a joint statement of the leaders
ISTANBUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th January, 2020) Russian and Turkish presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan are deeply concerned about the escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran, according to a joint statement of the leaders.
"We are deeply concerned about the escalation of the tension between the US and Iran as well as its negative repercussions on Iraq. We evaluate the US air operation targeting the Commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Qassem Soleimani and his entourage in Baghdad on 3 January 2020 as an act undermining security and stability in the region," the leaders said.
"We have always been against foreign interventions, unilateral military actions and sectarian conflicts. In this vein, we express our commitment to de-escalate the existing tensions in the region and call on all parties to act with restraint as well as commonsense and to prioritize diplomacy," they said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Putin and Erdogan, when discussing the situation in the Persian Gulf after the US actions, had spoken for resolution of all issues in the Persian Gulf area by peaceful means on the basis of international law.
On Wednesday morning, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) started a retaliatory operation in response to Washington's killing of IRGC's commander Qassem Soleimani. According to the Iraqi military, about 22 missiles struck the country, with 17 of them hitting the US Ain Al Asad airbase and five attacking the Iraqi city of Erbil. At least 80 US soldiers were reportedly killed and around 200 others were injured, while the United States has reported no casualties at all.
