TEHRAN, Feb 24 (AFP) - Iran officially protested Thursday against Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's comment that now that Iran had elected a pro-reform parliament he hoped it would stop exporting its brand of "hardline Islam."
Deputy Foreign Minister Mohsen Aminzadeh summoned Turkish ambassador Turan Murali and told him Ecevit's remarks were "a clear example of interference in domestic affairs, and an affront to the Iranian people and the Islamic republic," the official IRNA news agency said.
"Ecevit's statement not only runs counter to the good neighborly relations between Iran and Turkey, but also conveys lack of understanding of the historical and political development in Iran on the part of Mr. Ecevit," Aminzadeh said.
"We are confident that the Muslim people of Turkey have not the same view that the prime minister expressed about Iran."
"We hope the Turkish officials will accurately understand the situation, correct their wrong conduct and avoid bringing more misunderstanding between the two nations," he added.
Ecevit hailed Monday the election victory of Iranian reformists and expressed hope that Tehran would give up its support for "hardline Islamic movements" in other countries. "We hope Iran will now abandon efforts to export the [Islamic] revolution," Ecevit told reporters. "Anti-secularist circles in Turkey will not be able to see the Iranian regime as a source of inspiration any more," he added.
Ecevit defined Friday's victory for Iranian reformists as "a new era" and expressed hope it would be beneficial not only for Iran, but for the whole Muslim world and Turkey.
