Turkey has strong differences with Iran over policy in Syria and Iraq, and Tehran's sectarian policies are a danger to the region, but there is no crisis between the two countries, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday. In an interview on Turkey's Kanal 24 television, Cavusoglu said Turkey had always supported Iran and wanted to keep good relations with it, but called on Tehran to refrain from "allegations and slander." Turkey on Sunday said it was "astonished" by Iranian accusations that Ankara is supporting Daesh and involved in oil dealing with the terrorists in Iraq and Syria. Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said in a statement there was nothing in Tehran's accusations to take "seriously." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday he had warned his Iranian counterpart Hassan Ruhani over some Iranian media reports that he and his family were involved in oil trade with Daesh. Erdogan said that he spoke with Ruhani on the phone and told him: "You will pay a high price if it continues like that." He added that the Iranians later removed the news from their website. Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Bilgic confirmed the telephone conversation between the two presidents and said any attempts to distort its content were "not only immoral but also equal to hiding the truth from neighboring Iranian people." In response to Erdogan, Iranian foreign ministry on Friday called for "mutual politeness and respect in relations," according to the Iranian media. "The continuation of policies and positions that, wanted or unwanted, have led to the support of terrorism in Syria and Iraq, only escalate the current crisis in the region and increase problems for countries that continue such policies," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber-Ansari said according to IRNA. Russia and Iran are major backers of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's regime. Turkey is supporting rebels who have been fighting Assad and has joined a US-led coalition fighting the Daesh group in Syria earlier this year. Bilgic said Turkey pursued "principled policies" for a peaceful solution to problems in its region. He said Ankara was not taking "seriously the terrorism accusations made by the states which led to the escalation of the crisis in cooperation with the Damascus regime," referring to Iran and Russia. Turkey is currently at loggerheads with Russia after downing one of Moscow's warplanes on November 24. Russia has accused Erdogan and his family of involvement in oil trade — charges blasted as "slander" and "immoral" by the Turkish strongman. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said last month that Turkey's downing of the Russian fighter jet "sends the wrong message to the terrorists" in Syria. Russian missile launcher ‘provocation' Turkey's foreign minister has called on Russia to end "provocative acts" after Turkish media captured images of a Russian soldier apparently pointing a missile launcher as his warship navigated through the Bosporus on its way to the Mediterranean. Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday Turkey had had made the necessary response over Sunday's incident which came amid escalating Russian-Turkish tensions following Turkey's downing of a Russian plane. Cavusoglu did not provide details but said: "The ship's passage in such a way was an openly provocative passage. This has to end." The minister renewed a call for the two sides to overcome tensions through diplomatic means and for Russia to halt punitive sanctions on Turkey. Cavusoglu added: "We are asking Russia to act as a more mature state." The alleged incident came with Ankara and Moscow at loggerheads after Turkey downed a Russian jet on its border with Syria last month, sparking fury and economic sanctions from the Kremlin. Turkey's private NTV channel broadcast pictures of what it said was a Russian serviceman aboard the "Caesar Kunikov" with a type of rocket or missile launcher on his shoulder in the firing position. "The soldier aboard the Russian warship showing things like a missile... is only a provocation," Cavusoglu said. NTV reported that the vessel from the Russian navy's Black Sea fleet passed through the Bosphorus on Sunday morning, however other media said the incident occurred on Friday. Turkish media also reported that Ankara had blocked a Russian ship at its Black Sea port of Samsun at the weekend due to "lack of required documents" while three others were allowed to leave. There was no immediate comment from Russian authorities about the various reports. But Cavusoglu said Turkey had no intention of blocking the passage of Russian ships that were moving through its waters in compliance with international law. Russia and Turkey are locked in their worst crisis since the Cold War over the November 24 jet downing, and their leaders have since been engaged in an almost daily war of words. — Agencies
