Iranian official humiliated after "unwelcome" arrival in Turkey (Video)
Today's ZAMAN: Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday, but only after being surprised to find that no Turkish official was present to greet him at the entrance to the Office of the Prime Ministry. He arrived at the Prime Ministry for a meeting with Erdoğan at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, but no Turkish official was there to welcome him when he got out of his car. The Iranian ambassador to Turkey accompanying Jalili, who looked surprised, checked his watch twice, and then Jalili entered the building. He was met by an official inside the building, who took him to the meeting room.
The diplomatic snub was, according to some, an act of retaliation for the way Erdoğan was treated during a visit to Tehran earlier this year. During the April visit, the Iranian side postponed at the last minute a scheduled meeting between Erdoğan and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying the Iranian leader was ill. The postponement, however, was interpreted by Turkey as a deliberate discourtesy revealing political tensions between the two countries.
Photos from inside the Prime Ministry showed Erdoğan smiling while hugging Jalili.
Relations between Turkey and Iran have been strained by differences over Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad is facing an uprising against his rule. Turkey is one of the harshest critics of Assad, while Iran is a key ally of his embattled regime.
Complete Story here.
