Turkey Urges Iraq, Iran, And Pakistan To Refrain And Use Common Sense To Relax Tensions

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. (Wikimedia Commons/Downing Street 10/Simon Dawson)

JAKARTA - The Turkish government called on Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan to exercise restraint and use common sense to ease tensions, after all three launched attacks on "terrorists" in each other's territory.

In a Thursday statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said it was deeply concerned about the escalating tensions that began with Iran's attacks on specific targets in Iraq, which later expanded with attacks on Pakistan and escalated with Pakistani attacks on targets in Iran.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry urges all parties to resolve issues on the basis of "friendly and mutual respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all parties involved, especially the UN charter."

Ankara is ready to contribute to a peaceful settlement of disputes in the region, the ministry added.

"Turkey does not want the situation between Iran and Pakistan to escalate," said Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan separately at a press conference with his counterpart from Jordan, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

Foreign Minister Fidan further said, during talks with his colleagues from Iran and Pakistan, Turkey advised them to "maintain the situation and facilitate calm as soon as possible."

The Pakistani army on Thursday said it carried out a precision attack against the terrorists' group of the Blochistan Liberation Army and the Blochistan Liberation Front.

Iranian media said several missiles targeted Bloch separatist militants in a village in Sistan-Baluchestan Province bordering Pakistan, killing at least nine people.

It said the maximum caution had been taken to avoid additional damage and urged "dialogies and cooperation" in resolving the issue between the two "brotherly countries".

"Pakistan fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement following the attack on Iran's territory.

Pakistan's attack came two days after Iranian missiles and drones targeted two bases of the Jaish al Adl militant group that Pakistan's state media said.