Iran-Turkey Joint Commission to Discuss Border Incidents
August 10, 1999 - 0:0
TEHRAN -- The Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs Gholam Hossein Bolandian left here for Ankara on Monday for a five-day visit, an informed source told the TEHRAN TIMES. Bolandian, heading a high-ranking delegation, is to attend a session of Iran-Turkey Joint Security Commission which will start its work today. During the session the two sides are to discuss the recent border incidents.
The Iranian and Turkish officials will also review bilateral security cooperation, drug smuggling, consular affairs, and problems in the border areas of the two countries. Turkish warplanes dropped rockets and bombs on Iranian border outposts in Piranshahr and villages around the city on July 18, killing a number of rural people and injuring others. Iran has protested the attack and called for compensation.
The source added that during the current security commission, the Turkish officials will announce Turkey's stance on the issue and the results of the investigations recently made by a Turkish team which visited the area. "It should be the last time the Turkish troops violate Iran's territorial integrity," he said. Iran and Turkey have 511 km of joint border. They have signed a memorandum of understanding in 1992 during the visit to Tehran of the then Turkish interior minister.
According to the memorandum of understanding, the joint security committee has been set up to investigate the problems that may come to fore in this respect. Iran-Turkey Security Commission holds sessions every six months. The last session was held in Tehran on February 15 with the participation of Turkish deputy interior minister. Meanwhile, Iran released on Monday two Turkish soldiers who had been arrested three weeks ago during Turkish military incursion into Iran, the Foreign Ministry announced in a statement here Monday. The release took place on humanitarian ground and after Ankara had assured Tehran that the aggression was not intentional.
Ankara has repeatedly requested Iran to release the two Turkish soldiers. The two soldiers who had been detained by Iran in late July after crossing the border into Iran were handed over to the Turkish authorities in a border area.
The Iranian and Turkish officials will also review bilateral security cooperation, drug smuggling, consular affairs, and problems in the border areas of the two countries. Turkish warplanes dropped rockets and bombs on Iranian border outposts in Piranshahr and villages around the city on July 18, killing a number of rural people and injuring others. Iran has protested the attack and called for compensation.
The source added that during the current security commission, the Turkish officials will announce Turkey's stance on the issue and the results of the investigations recently made by a Turkish team which visited the area. "It should be the last time the Turkish troops violate Iran's territorial integrity," he said. Iran and Turkey have 511 km of joint border. They have signed a memorandum of understanding in 1992 during the visit to Tehran of the then Turkish interior minister.
According to the memorandum of understanding, the joint security committee has been set up to investigate the problems that may come to fore in this respect. Iran-Turkey Security Commission holds sessions every six months. The last session was held in Tehran on February 15 with the participation of Turkish deputy interior minister. Meanwhile, Iran released on Monday two Turkish soldiers who had been arrested three weeks ago during Turkish military incursion into Iran, the Foreign Ministry announced in a statement here Monday. The release took place on humanitarian ground and after Ankara had assured Tehran that the aggression was not intentional.
Ankara has repeatedly requested Iran to release the two Turkish soldiers. The two soldiers who had been detained by Iran in late July after crossing the border into Iran were handed over to the Turkish authorities in a border area.