Following the January 2, 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani, leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force, both Turkish and Iranian official government outlets described a phone call between Iranian President Hassan Rohani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Iranian government outlets said that Erdoğan had offered his condolences to Rohani over the killing of "Martyr Soleimani," but the Turkish government sources did not mention any such condolences.
Iranian Government Outlets: Erdoğan Offered Condolences To Rohani Over Killing Of "Martyr Soleimani"
The official Twitter account of the Iranian Embassy in Ankara tweeted on January 4: "Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in his phone call with Iranian President Hassan Rohani, said in their telephone conversation: 'The absence of Martyr Soleimani saddens [us] deeply. I am aware of the anger of the Iranian people, you, and the [supreme] leader.'"[1]
A statement released on January 4 on the official website of the president of Iran described a phone call between President Rohani and President Erdoğan in which Erdoğan reportedly conveyed his condolences to Rohani over the killing of Soleimani. The statement read: "Speaking in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday evening, President Hassan Rouhani said, 'If we do not take unanimous stance against America's mistakes, a great danger will threat our region'. Appreciating the Turkish President's condolences with the Iranian government and nation, Dr Rouhani said, 'Iran and Turkey have always negotiated in complicated issues... We must respond to foolish acts, and there is no doubt that silence towards aggressors will make them bolder."[2] The Turkish daily Yeni Akit reported on this statement in an article titled "A Call From Rohani To Erdoğan After The Assassination: Let's Oppose The U.S.'s Actions Together" as did the Turkish daily Yeni Çağ in another article.[3]
Turkish Government Outlets: All Sides Should "Act With Common Sense And Restraint" – Rohani And Erdoğan "Discussed Latest Developments In The Region"
Turkey's Foreign Ministry released a statement on January 3 neither condemning nor celebrating the killing, saying: "We are inviting all sides to act with common sense and restraint, to avoid unilateral steps that will endanger the peace and stability of our region, and to give priority to diplomacy."[4] On January 4, the official website of Turkey's Directorate of Communications for the office of the president released a brief statement on the phone call between Erdoğan and Rohani but did not mention Erdoğan's reported condolences to Rohani. The statement read: "President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held phone talks with Iranian and Iraqi counterparts. In talks with Iran's Hassan Rouhani and Iraq's Barham Salih, the leaders discussed latest developments in the region as well as bilateral relations."[5] The directorate's official Twitter account conveyed the same message, as did the Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu Ajansı.[6]
[1] Twitter.com/Iran_in_Turkey/status/1213550893142102016, January 4, 2020.
[2] President.ir/en/113182, January 4, 2020.
[3] Yeniakit.com.tr/haber/suikast-sonrasi-ruhaniden-erdogana-cagri-abdnin-eylemlerine-birlikte-karsi-koyalim-993130.html, January 4, 2020; Yenicaggazetesi.com.tr/ruhaniden-erdogana-ortak-mucadele-cagrisi-263069h.htm, January 4, 2020.
[4] Mfa.gov.tr/no_2_-kasim-suleymani-nin-abd-hava-saldirisi-sonucu-hayatini-kaybetmesi-hk.tr.mfa, January 3, 2020.
[5] Iletisim.gov.tr/english/haberler/detay/president-erdogan-speaks-to-iranian-iraqi-presidents-over-phone, January 4, 2020.
[6] Twitter.com/iletisim/status/1213472138784641024, January 4, 2020; Aa.com.tr/tr/turkiye/cumhurbaskani-erdogan-ruhani-ve-salih-ile-gorustu/1692307, January 4, 2020.
