Turkey reiterates Iran's right to nuclear technology

Turkish Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin throws his weight behind Iran despite recent US threats of new sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The Turkish official made the remark in a meeting with the visiting Iranian Education Minister Hamid-Reza Hajibabaie on Wednesday in Ankara.

"Turkey will continue its support for the peaceful Iranian nuclear program," IRNA quoted Sahin as saying.

"All the countries have the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and Turkey has a clear policy regarding nuclear programs," he added.

The Turkish official further underlined that the Iranian nuclear issue should be solved through diplomacy.

The Iranian Education Minister is currently visiting Turkey at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart, Nimet Cubukcu.

Israel and its staunch ally, the United States, have been accusing the Islamic Republic of pursuing military applications under the guise of a civilian nuclear program, a claim vehemently rejected by Iran.

Iran, a signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is entitled to pursue the technology for civilian purposes. It has also called for the elimination of all nuclear weapons, as well as their development and production.

Tel Aviv remains in possession of over 200 nuclear war heads, although it has never formally acknowledged such arsenal. It has refused to sign the NPT, and it is not a member of the IAEA. Israel's nuclear arms are believed to be a major threat to the Middle East region.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=118892§ionid=351020104.