PM Davutoğlu urges Saudi Arabia, Iran to act with common sense
| AA photo


Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu called on Saudi Arabia and Iran to use diplomatic channels and said Turkey is ready to do whatever it can to resolve the current tension between the two countries. The prime minister made the comments during the Justice and Development (AK) Party's group meeting in the Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday. Davutoğlu said, "The tension between two countries is further enhancing the antagonism in the region. We ask for all countries in the region to act with common sense."Stating that Turkey is doing its best to ensure peace in the region, the prime minister said, "This crisis needs to come to a solution as soon as possible."Emphasizing that both Iran and Saudi Arabia are two important countries of the Islam world, he wished that the atmosphere of conflict ends soon. Friction between Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia - fierce regional rivals who support opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen - was heightened by the execution of cleric Nimr Baqir al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia on Saturday.Before his arrest in July 2012, al-Nimr led mass protests against the Saudi regime. He was among 47 executed on Saturday over terrorism offenses.Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran following attacks on its missions in Tehran and Mashhad on Sunday.Earlier Monday, Bahrain and Sudan followed Riyadh in cutting relations with Iran and expelled Iranian ambassadors in protest at the attacks on Saudi missions. The United Arab Emirates also scaled back its diplomatic representation to Tehran.On Tuesday, Kuwait recalled its ambassador to Iran, the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) said. The agency quoted an unnamed source who said the recent attacks against Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad are a "flagrant breach of international conventions" and a violation of Iran's commitment to the "security and safety of diplomatic missions on its lands."