Turkey calls for peace and stability in Iran

ANKARA, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls for peace and stability in Iran in a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday.

The two leaders discussed the ongoing protests in Iran since December 28. Erdogan welcomed Rouhani's statement warning the public not to violate laws while exercising their right to peaceful protests.

Rouhani said he hoped the protests will end in a couple of days.

Meanwhile, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesperson Bekir Bozdag said in a tweet, "Turkey is against any move to come to power through unconstitutional and unlawful ways or by using force or external interventions."

Bozdag called on the Iranian government and the people to be cautious against provocations and to secure peace.

"Any chaos or conflict in Iran will lead to unrest in the region," he said, adding that Turkey is monitoring events in its neighboring country closely.

"Peace and stability in Iran is important for the Iranian people and our region," he added.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday Turkey was against any foreign intervention as the ongoing protest in Iran was a domestic matter, and Turkey hoped that stability and peace would soon be restored in Iran.

Thousands of Iranians took to the streets on Thursday in northeastern cities of Mashhad and Kashmar to protest rising commodity prices and perceived government mismanagement, according to local media reports. Enditem