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Davutoglu warns of a new cold war in the wider Middle East

5 January 2012

The Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu is in Tehran on a two day visit for talks with Iranian leaders. The visit was brought forward by a few days in response to increased tensions in the region and as a sectarian crisis developing in Iraq, further conflict in Syria and threat of a military stand off in the Straits of Hormuz casts a shadow over the new year that has just started.

In a comment to the Anatolia News Agency before he left for Tehran the Turkish Foreign Minister said "I want to clearly say that there are some who seek a regional cold war. We are determined to prevent it. A regional sectarian tension would be a suicide for the region."

Davutoglu noted that there was a risk of rising tension which would affect not only Iraq and Syria but also the whole region. However, we are determined to prevent a regional cold war, he added.

Davutoglu said that following his visit to Iran, he would tour Russia and the US within a month, and hold meetings with officials of the EU and Gulf countries, and host foreign ministers of several countries in Turkey. Davutoglu said that Turkey was against escalation of tension in the region, adding that Turkey's Iraq policy was to being close to all groups in that country.

source: commonspace.eu with agency reports

photo: Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davitoglu (archive picture)

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