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 Turkey summons Iran's ambassador over criticism against Erdogan

Xinhua, January 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

Turkey has summoned Iran's ambassador to Ankara over the controversy created by some Iranian media outlets on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent visit to Saudi Arabia, said the Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement later Thursday.

The statement condemned the stories run by the Iranian media and the accusations against Erdogan, and demanded an end to such publications and broadcast that aim to create a negative image of the Turkish president in the minds of Iranians.

The safety of foreign diplomatic missions was a responsibility of host countries; therefore, the attacks against Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran and Consulate in Mashhad could not be explained and accepted, added the statement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia between Dec. 29 and Dec. 31.

On Saturday, Saudi Arabia executed prominent Shia cleric Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, along with 46 others convicted of "terrorism."

Tehran warned that Saudi Arabia would pay a "steep price" for the cleric's death, while Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and the Iranian city of Mashhad.

On Sunday, Riyadh severed all diplomatic ties with Iran and gave Iranian diplomats 48 hours to leave the kingdom. Enditem