Iran urges Turkey to respect Syria's integrity

Iran on Monday urged Turkey to respect Syria's territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

"Iran acknowledges Turkey's security concerns which should be addressed through peaceful means," Xinhua quoted Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi as saying to reporters.

In the meantime, "Turkey must respect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity in its conflicts with the Syrian Kurds," said Mousavi.

"To solve the problem, earlier agreements between Syria and Turkey could be a solution," he said, adding that "Turkey and Syria should adhere to Adana deal in this regard."

Based on Adana agreement, Syria committed to reject the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is considered as terror group by Turkey and the European Union and the United States, and to prohibit its operation against Turkey from Syrian soil.

Damascus would cooperate with Ankara in taking measures to assure that the PKK would no longer be welcomed in Syria, according to the Adana agreement.

Following recent withdrawal of the United States from northern Syria, Turkish soldiers launched an assault on Kurdish fighters earlier this month in northern Syria.

On Thursday, Turkey agreed to a five-day ceasefire in northeast Syria to allow for withdrawal of Kurdish forces.IANS