“The (recommendation that Iranians) avoid traveling to Turkey does not mean abnormal ties. We have to take such measures to protect the lives of our citizens,” Larijani said at a press conference in Tehran on Monday, after several lawmakers as well as the Foreign Ministry asked people to stop going to Turkey due to security concerns.
“Turkey is a friend of ours, and we have high-level trade ties with that country,” the speaker noted.
“We, nevertheless, expect the Turkish government to have decency in statements and stances,” Larijani added, saying certain comments about Iran made by Turkish officials recently were below the standards of neighborliness but Iran “exercised self-restraint.”
In a February visit to Bahrain, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had accused Iran of seeking disintegration of Iraq and Syria and growing influence in the region.
Moreover, at the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Germany, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu criticized what he called an Iranian "sectarian policy" aimed at undermining Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Iran has always maintained that its policy is based on non-interference in the internal affairs of others and rejection of tension in the region, stressing that the country’s primary purpose is to counter terrorism and restore stability to the Middle East.