Iran toughens criticism of Turkey over NATO radarSeptember 8, 2011 - 15:00 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Iran toughened Thursday, September 8, its criticism of Turkey over its plan to host an early-warning radar as part of NATO's missile defense system, saying it will create tension and lead to "complicated consequences." "We expect friendly countries and neighbors ... not to promote policies that create tension, which will definitely have complicated consequences," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in remarks carried by the state television website, AFP reported. "We believe that the installation of some parts of the NATO missile system in Turkey will not help the security and stability of the region at all, nor that of the host country," Mehmanparast said. Iran "condemns any action that creates an arms race in the world and region," he added. On Monday, Tehran criticized Ankara in a more subtle tone, with a deputy foreign minister saying the missile shield radar would not "improve security in the region." "Iran and Turkey are two friendly neighboring nations ... and have the ability to fully preserve their own security without any foreign intervention," said Hassan Ghashghavi, deputy minister for consular affairs. Leaders of the 28-member NATO alliance gave their backing last year for the Europe-wide ballistic missile shield - which US officials say is aimed at thwarting missile threats from the Middle East, particularly Iran. The remarks came after Ankara announced that technical negotiations on the deployment of the NATO radar had "reached a final stage." Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |