Alwaght- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed on peace and stability in Iran when he talked to his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani over the phone on Wednesday.
The two leaders discussed the protests across Iran that have been ongoing since December 28, the source said.
Erdogan stressed on the significance of maintaining peace and stability in Iran. He also welcomed Rouhani's remarks on urging the public to not violate their country's laws while exercising their right to peaceful protests.
Rouhani told Erdogan he hoped the protests in Iran would end within a few days, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.
Referring to Western media reports and remarks made by certain US and Israeli officials with respect to the protests, the Turkish president said his country was familiar with the West’s media propaganda campaign and "hackneyed, meddlesome" comments by the US president and Israeli prime minister.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Erdogan said Turkey was keen to expand all-out relations with Iran, including in the banking sector.
He also praised Tehran-Ankara cooperation on the establishment of regional stability, including their interaction in the Astana and Sochi talks over Syria.
Rouhani, for his part, said the Iranian people were free to protest within the framework of law, adding that the nation’s security was of high significance to the government, which would not sit idly by in the face of any act of violence or illegal measure.
He also praised Tehran-Ankara cooperation in different sectors, including politics, security and economy, and expressed hoped that the two countries would take a big leap towards the expansion of bilateral ties in 2018.
Last week, a number of peaceful protests over economic problems started in several Iranian cities, but those gatherings turned violent when groups of participants, some of them armed, vandalized public property and launched attacks on police stations and government buildings.
Over a dozen people have been killed in the ensuing violence, according to state media reports.
On Wednesday, Iranians from all walks of life took to the streets in several cities to condemn the violence while voicing their support and loyalty to the country's Islamic establishment.
